Duplicity
by Blue is the New Red
Summary: Ash's mother has exciting news, she's finally getting remarried! But something is strange about her fiancé, and May intends to get to the bottom of it.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Uncertainty **

* * *

><p><strong>So this idea came to me while I was watching a movie... That was completely unrelated to this idea (We Bought a Zoo if you must know) it kind of just hit me in the face like a hot pancake... So it'll be interesting to see how this turns out.<strong>

**I was pretty desperate to come up with an idea too; I had finished writing Harley and Me and still had no idea what to write for a fourth story. I had several okay ideas, but none of them where either unique or something I could write about for five chapters without making it boring. So yeah... This story was born.**

**Anyways, this takes place after the Diamond and Pearl series. Ash and May are already together, and were traveling in some unnamed region.**

**I decided to write this so I could experiment with them already being a couple, all my stories always work up to them being together, I figured I would do something different.**

**The main plot focuses on things other than advanceshipping, but there will be plenty of moments for you advanceshippers and it does play a vital role in this fiction.**

**Unlike Lessons Learn and Harley and Me, this will take on a little more serious nature, something else I've been wanting to experiment with.**

**So yeah, I really hope you guys enjoy this, and don't be shy, post a review and give me input.**

**Oh, and I'm experimenting with crack-shippings (if that's what they are called) Got some pairings I've never seen happening here.**

**I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

><p>May's eyes slowly opened as sunlight poured into the room. She groaned and yawned, adjusting her position in bed. Looking around she saw Ash, her boyfriend, sleeping in the bed across the room, knocked out and unaffected by the sunlight. Pikachu was curled up into a ball by his side.<p>

They had been on a ferry for several days now, after getting a surprising call from Ash's mother, who revealed some wonderful news. May was still still remember it like it was yesterday.

* * *

><p><em>"Ash Ketchum, you have a phone call from Kanto," Nurse Joy said. Ash, who been sitting on the couch in the lobby, thanked her, and got up from the couch. May, who had been snuggled next to him, got up as well and followed him to the TV phone room with Pikachu.<em>

_Ash sat down in one of the seats, pressing the power button on the TV phone. The machine turned on and hummed to life, the large screen lighting up. May stood behind him, resting her chin on his shoulder. Nurse Joy directed them to their call and a familiar face popped up on the screen._

_Ash's face brightened as a smile grew on his face. "Hey, Mom!" Ash said excitedly. "What's up?"_

_Ash's mother seemed super excited, she was barely able to sit in her seat, and her face was flooded with joy. "Hey you guys," She said in a singsong voice, "You will never guess what just happened!"_

_Ash and May exchanged glances. "You bought a new house?" Ash asked._

_Mrs. Ketchum shook her head. "No, even better,"_

_"Did you get a new Pokémon?" May asked._

_"No, not even close," Mrs. Ketchum said._

_"Well... Then what is it?" Ash asked, giving up._

_Mrs. Ketchum's smile grew wider and she held up her hand._

_..._

_Ash scratched his head. "Um... That doesn't tell me any-"_

_"Oh my gosh!" May exclaimed, interrupting Ash, "Is that an engagement ring?" She asked excitedly, there indeed was a golden ring on Mrs. Ketchum's ring finger._

_Mrs. Ketchup nodded excitedly. "Yes!" she shouted, almost a little too loudly._

_"Did Isaac propose?" May asked._

Shortly after Ash's finished his Sinnoh journey, his mother had met a man who went by the name Isaac Mustarm. He was around Delia's age, he was quite handsome, fit, and very wealthy. He was basically every woman's dream man, and he and Delia got along very well. After a while, they began dating, seeming to grow very close.

_Although Ash had never met Isaac personally, he had talked to him over the TV phone twice; he seemed like a decent fellow._

_"Wow Mom..." Ash said, "That's... Great..." He was doing his best to sound happy, but May could tell something was off._

_Mrs. Ketchum was doing her best to contain her excitement, it looked like she was about to explode. "Thank you, honey!" She said, "I also wanted to tell you guys we are going to be having our wedding soon, so you three need to head down as soon as you can!"_

_Ash nodded in agreement, not saying anything. "That sounds great!" May said, "We'll come down as soon as possible!"_

_After saying goodbye, Ash turned off the TV phone and sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Ash, what's wrong?" May asked, spinning his chair around so he was facing her, "Aren't you happy for your mom?"_

_Ash sighed and drummed his fingers on the arm rest of the chair. "I am..." he began, "But... I feel... I don't know... Left out..."_

_May got down on her knees so she was at his eye level. "Left out? What do you mean?" she asked._

_Ash sighed again and ran his hands through his hair. "I barely know Isaac," he began, "And suddenly he's proposing to my mom? And is going to be my new dad?" He gazed at the floor and slumped down in his seat, "I'm going to be closely related to someone who is almost a stranger..."_

_May smiled sadly and leaned forward, hugging the trainer sitting before her. "I understand," she whispered in his ear, "But give him a chance... You may end up really liking him."_

_Ash smiled slightly and hugged May back, tightly holding onto his girlfriend. "I hope so..." he said, "Thanks, May. You always know how to cheer me up."_

* * *

><p>May sighed as she recalled the memory. The last thing she wanted was for Ash to be unhappy, so she did her best to encourage him and help him think positively about the situation.<p>

Shortly after Delia's call, Ash and May packed their bags and hopped on a ferry, which would head over to Pallet Town.

May smiled when Ash's eyes fluttered open. He let out a long yawn and stretched. "Morning, May," Ash said sleepily, a weak smile appearing on his face.

"Morning," she replied cheerfully. She withdrew the covers from her bed and carefully made her way over to Ash's bed. She crawled onto the bed and laid down next to him.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked Ash, snuggling in next to him.

"Meh... I had a weird dream... I think..." Ash said.

May tilted her name, now curious. "Do you remember it?" she asked.

Ash chuckled, "Heh, not really," he said, "I just remember it being strange."

May smiled to him. "Dreams are like that," she said, "they slip through your finger's so easily..."

Ash nodded in agreement, letting out another yawn. "So... We arrive in Pallet Town today," May said, "Thank goodness too, I was getting so bored on this ferry."

Ash smiled, "Yeah, so was I."

May sighed before carefully getting out of Ash's bed. She grabbed her fresh clothes for the day and stepped into the bathroom. Humming cheerfully to herself, she put on new clothes and brushed her hair before wrapping her bandanna around her head. She went through her normal morning routine before stepping out of the bathroom. She found Ash sitting up at the side of his bed, scratching Pikachu's forehead.

"So today I'm going to meet my new soon-to-be father," Ash said, "I hope he's really great."

May walked over to him and kissed his forehead. "I'm sure Isaac will be a fantastic dad," she assured him. "Once you get to know him, you'll love him."

May suddenly frowned, a question arising in her mind. "Ash," she began, the Pokémon trainer looked at her, "What about you're past father? Your mom is a _Mrs._Ketchum."

Ash swallowed hard, this obviously wasn't an easy topic to talk about. May sat down on his bed next to him, patently waiting for an answer.

"I don't remember anything about my father," Ash admitted. "Mom told me that he went off on a Pokémon journey..."

May gave him a quizzed glance. "That's it?" she asked.

Ash shook his head. "Apparently, it was supposed to be a short journey, he wanted to catch Moltes or something..." Ash paused for a minute, "But he never came back. Mom says he was found near Mount Silver... Dead..."

May gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Ash, I'm so sorry," she said, rubbing the trainer's back.

Ash shrugged. "I've never had a real father before, the closest person to a father figure was Professor Oak," he said, "But now that my Mom is remarrying... I'm..."

"Nervous?" May asked.

"Scared..." Ash said. He sighed and rubbed the back of his next, "I don't know what to expect from any of this... I just hope it turns out okay..."

May hugged him tightly, reassuring him again. "I'm sure it will."

* * *

><p>Pallet Town came into view on the horizon, the boat quickly sailed towards their destination. Ash took a deep breath and gripped the rails tightly, not taking his eyes off Pallet Town.<p>

May stood next to him, much calmer, but still a little worried. She had never been in Ash's situation before, but she wanted to make sure she was there for him every step of the way.

Ash impatiently drummed his fingers on the railing, anxiousness almost emitting from him. The cool breeze whipped through his hair, causing him to lay his hand down on his cap as to prevent it from flying away.

"What if he doesn't like me," Ash said suddenly, tearing his eyes away from his hometown, and turning to May.

May looked at him, "That's ridiculous, Ash," She told him, "he'll love you like any father would love his son."

"You don't that for a fact," Ash pointed out.

"No, I don't," May admitted, "But what are the odds he wouldn't like you."

Ash shrugged, turning his attention back to Pallet Town. "I'd say fifty-fifty chance."

May began to rub his back. "Come on, Ash," she said, "Where is that un-teetering confidence of yours?"

Ash let out a long sigh. "This isn't like anything I have ever faced," he said, "It's this fear of the unknown..."

_"Hey you two!"_

During their conversation, the boat had approached the Pallet Town docks, where Mrs. Ketchum was excitedly waving at them. Ash's face lit up as he called out to her and waved. Isaac was nowhere to be seen, May began to wonder where he was.

The boat docked and the railing lowered, allowing Ash to race down with Pikachu and approach his mother, giving her a hug.

"Hey, Mom," He said, letting go of her and backing up. May walked up to them and stood next to Ash.

"Hello Mrs. Ketchum," She said, Delia smiled and stepped forward, hugging May tightly, and throwing the girl off guard.

"You seemed surprised?" Mrs. Ketchum asked as she let go of May.

May scratched the back of her head and blushed in embarrassment. "Well... I just... it's just that-"

Mrs. Ketchum smiled sweetly and waved it off. "You're part of the family now," she said cheerfully, "What else would you expect?"

May shrugged and smiled. "I guess you're right," she replied.

Ash and Pikachu were looking around, confused looks on their faces. "Hey, where's Isaac?" he asked.

Mrs. Ketchum smiled, "He couldn't be here at the moment," she said, "but he has some plans for you and May this afternoon."

Ash and Pikachu tilted their heads. "Plans?" he asked.

"You know, bonding time," Mrs. Ketchum explained.

Ash exchanged glances with May before shrugging. "Okay..." he said.

* * *

><p>"Ahh, it's good to be home," Ash said as he stepped into his house, he kicked off his shoes and walked into the living room, flopping down on the couch, sprawling out across it. May smiled, Ash seemed to be loosening up.<p>

Delia threw the house keys on the dining room table, waving to May. "Let me show you your room, dear," she said as she began to walk up the stairs. May complied and followed her up the stairs. Delia walked down the hall before stopping in front of the room that was across from the door labeled "Ash's Room".

The guest room was simple. It had a double bed, a closet, a dresser, and a desk. "I cleaned it all up before you arrived," Mrs. Ketchum said.

May smiled and thanked her before stepping into the room. She unpacked her stuff and returned back down to the living room, where Ash hadn't moved. "You're so lazy," May said with a giggle, "Was standing on the ferry really that hard?"

...

"Yes," Ash replied.

May gave him a knowing look before smiling. "Okay, then you shouldn't mind me sitting down as well," she said.

Ash shook his head, "Not at all, make yourself at h-**HUH**!" Ash grunted and May sat down on top of him. "That's... Not what I thought you meant," he grumbled.

May giggled and got off of Ash, who sat up, allowing her to sit next to him. "I wonder what Isaac has planned..." May wondered.

"I wonder what Isaac is like," Ash replied, taking a deep breath and slouching a little.

"You make it sound like he's going to be the devil or something," May said, "You should really approach this with an open heart."

Ash nodded. "I know..." he said, "But I liked things the way things were before."

May raised a brow. "You would rather go through life without a dad?" she asked, "Come on, Ash, that can't be true..."

Ash shrugged and shook his head, his gaze moved down to Pikachu, who was sitting in his lap. "I... I don't know..."

"Look," May began, "You may seem nervous now, but I'm sure that once you meet him, you'll grow attached to him right away, and then everything will be great."

Ash thought for a minute, scratching Pikachu's head.

"I mean, your mom likes him," May said, "Do you really think she would fall for a heartless jerk?"

Ash blinked a few times before smiling. "Yeah... You're right," he said, "I need to approach this more positively."

_"Hon bun! I'm back!"_a masculine voice shouted as the front door opened.

Ash and May exchanged glances. "Here goes nothing," Ash said.

* * *

><p>"Oh you're back!" Delia said happily as she ran up to the man, kissing him. "Ash is here too," she said.<p>

"Great! Where are you, sport?" the man asked. Ash and May got up from the couch, looking at the man. "Hey, and I see you brought your girlfriend too," he added.

"Hey, Isaac," Ash said, trying to sound happy, "It's great to meet you in person."

Ash stuck out his hand for a handshake, but Isaac wrapping his arms around Ash and hugged him. "We're family now, Sport," Isaac said when he let go of Ash.

Isaac was a tall man, a head over Delia. He had messy blonde hair on his head and blue eyes. He was well built and fairly large, May figured he could beat her dad in an arm wrestle...

_... No, nobody could beat her dad in an arm wrestle..._

Isaac also had a well shaven face, well trimmed nails, and pearly white teeth, and from the way he smelled, May could tell that hygiene was an important aspect to him.

"And if it isn't May..." Isaac said, approaching the brunette.

"Hello, Mr. Mustarm," May said, sticking her hand out.

"Oh please, call me Isaac," he said, shaking her hand firmly. May couldn't help but sigh when she looked into his eyes; he was every woman's dream man. Of course, she wouldn't trade Ash for anyone.

"Nice to meet you M- err... Isaac," May corrected herself, Isaac smiled and let go of her hand.

"Man do I have some fun things planned for you two," Isaac said, "We should head out right away."

Within a minute, Ash and May found themselves trailing behind Isaac, who lead them towards town.

"So, if you're Mom marries this guy, will your last name change to Mustarm?" May whispered, "Because you know that would mean that my last name would be Mustarm one day too..."

Ash smirked, "May Mustarm," he said quietly, making May shiver. "Has a nice ring to it," he whispered back.

"You have got to be kidding me, right?" May asked, "May Ketchum sounds a lot better!" she said in a hushed voice.

"Well one, you are thinking waaaaaay too far ahead," Ash whispered, "Second, I plan to keep my last name as Ketchum... If possible."

May breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, you two, here it is," Isaac said, stopping in front of a diner. "I hear they cook a killer Magikarp."

Ash licked his lips at the mentioning of food. "Awesome, let's try it!" He said, with that, the three, along with Pikachu, stepped inside.

They sat down at a table and a waiter quickly gave them menus. Ash still felt a little awkward and nervous around Isaac. He was thankful that May and Pikachu was there, they always made him feel better.

"So Ash," Isaac began, "What are you into again? Soccer?"

Ash exchanged glances with May. "No..." he said, "I'm a Pokémon trainer..."

"Oh," Isaac said, "You're one of those kids who ditched school early for an empty dream."

Ash raised a brow. "N-no..." he stammered, "I do dream, but I also do fairly well as a trainer."

"Ash is an amazing battler," May spoke up. "He even made top four in the Sinnoh league."

Isaac nodded, "Eh, that's not too bad, I guess," he said, "What's your favorite Pokémon?"

Ash smiled and looked down at Pikachu, "That's easy, Pikachu of course!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped.

Isaac nodded, "I'm more into Gengars, they are tough, and virtually unstoppable!"

Ash and Isaac talked a little bit about Pokémon, which seemed to perk him up. Isaac seemed friendly enough, although he spoke his mind.

"So Mr. Mus-I mean-Isaac," May spoke up at one point, "What do you do or a living?"

Isaac shrugged. "I'm unemployed, I don't work," he said.

May tilted her head, "But you're so wealthy," she said, even now he was wearing a leather jacket that screamed "_I'm rich_".

Isaac thought for a moment. "Um... My father's inheritance," he said, "Yeah, he left a truck load of money for me after he passed away."

May nodded. "So what are you into, May?" Isaac asked.

May's face lit up. "I'm a coordinator, I specialize in Pokémon beauty," she said proudly.

Ash smiled and patted her back. "And she's really good at it," he said, May blushed at his compliment.

"A coordinator, eh? Has she won any Grand Festivals?" he asked.

May's heart sunk and face dropped at the question. "Uh... No..." she said quietly.

"But she puts her full heart into it," Ash said, "And that's what matters the most!"

Isaac sighed, "Yeah, I guess..." he mumbled.

Ash then asked a question. "Hey, do you have any Pokémon?"

Isaac shook his head, "I used to have a Gengar, but it grew too attached to a girl I was dating," he said, "When we broke up, Gengar got mad and decided to stay with her."

Ash frowned. "Oh, that's too bad," He said sadly.

...

There was an awkward silence before May decided to speak up again. "So, how do you manage to live only off of your dad's inheritance?" she asked.

Isaac looked at her for a moment, seeming annoyed. "You ask a lot of questions," he stated.

May shifted uncomfortably in her seat, "Well... I'm just trying to start a conversation," she said.

Isaac laughed and patted Ash on the back. "You got a good taste in women, sport," he said, "She's a keeper."

Ash smiled at May, who was blushing in embarrassment from the compliment. "Yeah, she's awesome," Ash agreed, making May blush more.

* * *

><p>May found herself at the local bowling alley, watching Pikachu struggling over to the lane, dragging a large bowling ball. When he reached the lane, he used his hind legs to shove the bowling ball off. The ball slowly rolled down the lane and into the gutter.<p>

Pikachu's face darkened with anger and his cheeks began to spark. "PiiikaaaaCHUUUUU!" he exclaimed, sending a thunderbolt flying at the pins, hitting them and knocking them all over. Up on the score board a flashing X appeared, signaling he had gotten a strike.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said happily. May laughed and clapped for him.

Ash walked up to the lane next, a bowling ball in his hand. Isaac sat in front of the screen, watching the score, a bottle of beer in his hand.

Ash had never bowled before, and he clumsily chucked the ball into the lane. May winced at the heavy ball hit the lane with a loud thud, and rolled down the lane, it went straight down the middle and knocked eight of the pins over, leave the two in the back.

"Ouch, a split," Isaac said. Ash shrugged and rolled another ball down the lane, missing both pins completely.

May grabbed a ball and walked up to the lane. She held the ball in between her legs and rolled it down the lane. The ball curved and hit three pins on the right side.

"Alright, chitlins, heres how it's done," Isaac said, he set down the beer bottle and grabbed a ball. He ran at the lane and gracefully rolled the ball into the lane with one hand, hitting the pins slight to the right of the center, knocking all the balls down.

"Whoa!" Ash said, throwing his hands up. "Awesome!"

"Piiikaaaa," Pikachu gaped.

Isaac proudly brushed his hands together and sat back down.

"How did you do that?" Ash asked, "Can you show me?"

May smiled as Ash and Isaac talked, the older man trying to explain the process. It was great to see that Ash had finally gotten over the fear of meeting him; the two seemed to get along pretty well. Although Isaac wasn't perfect, May figured he would still be a great father for Ash.

_They'll do great together_, she thought.

* * *

><p>"Hon bun, we're home!" Isaac called out as he opened the front door.<p>

Mrs. Ketchum approached him and slowly wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you," she said.

"I missed you more," Isaac replied.

The two went back and forth, saying they missed the other more, before finally ending in a deep kissing session.

Ash averted him eyes and groaned in disgust, hurrying up the stairs to his room with Pikachu. May figured she had nothing better to do than watch Delia and Isaac boarder line French kissing, which grossed her out as well, so she followed him up the stairs and into his room.

"Ugh, that was gross," Ash said, a shiver running down his spine. "I've never seen Mom like that before..."

Ash sat down on his bed, lying down with his legs hanging over the sides. May picked up Pikachu and laid down next to Ash, setting the electric mouse down on her stomach.

"I think she's really excited," May said, "All these years of being alone, and then you went off on your adventure, she needs someone to keep her company."

Ash put his hands under his head, sighing. "She has Mr. Mime," he reminded May.

May rolled her eyes and gave Ash a knowing look. "Like that enough," she said, "she needs to be around someone who can say more than just their name."

Ash gazed at the ceiling, thinking it over. "I guess you're right," he said, "I'm just glad that she's happy."

May nudged him. "And it seems like you were worried over nothing," May said with a giggle, "Isaac is a great guy."

Ash chuckled, rolled his head to his side and looking at May. "Yeah, I guess you were right all along," he said.

May smiled again and nuzzled Ash's nose with her own. "I'm always right," she said.

* * *

><p>After talking for a little while, they heard a knock on the door. "Come on," Ash said.<p>

The door knob jiggled and Mrs. Ketchum's head popped in. "Hey you three," she said, "Did guys have a good time with Isaac?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, we had fun."

"It was a blast," May assured her.

"Pika pi Pikachu chu pika!" Pikachu added.

Ash rolled his eyes, "For the last time, you didn't win that bowling game fairly," he told Pikachu, making the mouse's face light up as his cheeks sparked threateningly.

"May, could I talk to you for a second?" Mrs. Ketchum asked. Ash and May exchanged glances before May nodded and got up off the bed. She followed her into the guest room.

"So did Ash warm up to Isaac well?" Mrs. Ketchum asked.

May tilted her head, confused with why she would be asking her that. "Yeah..." she said.

Mrs. Ketchum let out a sigh of relief. "Good," she said, "I didn't want to ask Ash, he would have just said yes, no matter what."

May smiled and nodded. "I understand, sometimes he forgets to think about himself," she said.

Mrs. Ketchum laughed and nodded. "Yes, he does," she said, "So what did you think of Isaac."

May thought for a minute before grinning and flashing Mrs. Ketchum a thumbs up. "He's a keeper," she said, "You're one lucky woman."

Mrs. Ketchum smiled and nodded, "And Ash is one lucky boy having a girlfriend like you," she said.

May couldn't help but blush at yet another compliment.

* * *

><p><strong>So there you have it. So what did you think of the story thus far? It's a little slow now, but things will definitely get interesting, I have high hopes for this story, and am really excited for what I plan to do with it. Masterful plot if I do say so myself. -_-<strong>

**I've determined that I'm probably going to try to focus on Ash-May interaction. Making them all "couple like" and have nice little moments for the advanceshippers.**

**So as you may or may not know, I have been and will be posting advanceshipping content on a daily basis for about three weeks. It's gonna be insane, and awesome, the world needs more advanceshipping, and there isn't enough out there to satisfy my selfish needs. :P**

**So yeah, make sure to add me to your alerts so you know when I update tomorrow, and the next day... And the next day! :D And then the day after that!**

**Oh, and because I love the attention. :P**

**And leave a review, I like those too.**

**The Shiny Gengar**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Discovery**

* * *

><p><strong>I figured I'd throw this out there to give people a chance to think about it or send me in the right direction... I need a beta reader...<strong>

**Yeah.**

**Cuase i maek two manny miztaces...**

**That is definitely the biggest problem I have had thus far... I guess proof reading my stories twice just isn't enough. O.o**

**So if you know a good beta reader, or maybe you want to be my beta reader, pm me. I would rather not go hunting for one. All my stories revolve around Pokémon, and typically advanceshipping...**

**... Because that's what brought me to this site in the first place. :P**

**Oh, and the beta reader won't be doing their beta-ing until after this everyday project, when I move onto my next big project.**

**So keep that in mind :D**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

><p>May was giddy with excitement. Earlier that day, Mrs. Ketchum had asked if she would like to be one of her bridesmaid's. Without a sliver of hesitance, May accepted. She had been to her share of weddings, but she had never had the privilege of being a bride's maid.<p>

Even though the wedding wasn't for another week or so, she couldn't help but have a little bounce to her step. She was sure her excitement would wear off eventually, but at the moment she could barely contain her enthusiasm.

Of course, the giddiness led to spontaneous bursts of excitement. May would suddenly squeal or bear hug Ash, surprising him.

"You're... A little too... Excited... About this..." He said, being crushed by her hug.

"I know," May said, letting go of him, Ash let out a breath and relief, finally able to breathe again. "But it makes me so happy to think about it! Think of how pretty I'll look in my dress!"

Ash sighed and smiled, _why were girls always so excited about clothes?  
><em>  
>"I'm glad you're excited, May," Ash said, "And it's not that I don't like hugs... Just don't crush me like that."<p>

Ash moved his right arm around a little. "Like... I can't feel my arm right now," he said with a laugh.

May scowled and huffed, turning her back to Ash. "You're no fun," she pouted.

Ash sighed and braced himself. "Okay... One more time... But only if you promise not to- OOF!" He was tackled to the ground by a happy May.

"I'm not promising anything," She said as she hugged him tightly.

Ash chuckled and wrapped his arms around May, returning the embrace.

May smiled and kissed him, "I love you."

Ash smiled back, "I love you too..." he said, "... but I'm not going to kiss you like Mom and Isaac kiss."

May snorted and smirked. "What a relief," she said.

* * *

><p>"Oh come on," Ash grumbled in frustration, "It shouldn't be this hard to find soy sauce..."<p>

"Pika pika," Pikachu agreed.

Ash and Pikachu had been at the super market for twenty minutes, looking for soy sauce for his mom, but he couldn't find it for the life of him. "If May was here she would find it in two seconds," Ash grumbled, putting his hands on his hips and looking up and down the aisle.

_"No, no, no, let's get the one with potatoes, it's healthier..."_

"Come on, Dad, you're no fun..."

"You'll thank me someday..."

Ash looked around when he heard the familiar voices. He stepped out of his aisle and began walking down the store, looking down each one. He stopped short when he saw two blonde males standing in the frozen food section.

"Barry? Palmer?" Ash asked.

Palmer and Barry looked up from the two boxes of food they were holding. "Oh, hey Ash!" Barry said, "What are you doing here?"

Ash sighed, "I'm looking for soy sauce..."

Barry shook his head. "No, not here, I mean Pallet Town," he said.

"Oh, I live here," Ash told him, "This is where I started my journey and everything..."

"Oh, I see," Barry said scratching his head.

"So what are you doing here?" Ash asked.

Barry exchanged glances with Palmer. "We're here on a father-son time vacation," Barry explained, "But um... Neither of us can cook... Thus the frozen meals..."

Palmer nodded and sighed. "Your mom used to cook the most amazing meals," Palmer told Barry, "It's a shame I never learned anything from her."

Ash's face brightened. "Hey, you can come over to my house and eat," he said, "My mom is one of the best cooks that I know!"

Palmer scratched his head. "I don't know," he said, "I hate taking advantage of people like that."

"Come on, Dad, are you crazy?" Barry asked, "Do you really want to eat nothing but frozen foods for the next week?"

Palmer sighed and nodded. "I guess you're right, but as long as your mother approves," he said.

Ash nodded, "Oh sure, she loves having guests!"

"Awesome!" Barry exclaimed, pumping his fist.

"Oh... But could you help me find the soy sauce?" Ash asked.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Mom, I brought home some hungry guests!"<p>

May heard Ash shout from the front door and stepped out of her room, making her way down the stairs to see who was here. She was slightly disappointed when she found that she didn't recognize the man and the boy with Ash.

Mrs. Ketchum stepped into the room, her face brightening at the sight of a few new friendly faces. "And who might these two men be?" she asked.

Ash turned to the two newcomers. "Mom, this is my friend from the Sinnoh Region, Barry, and this is his father, Palmer." Ash said, Palmer and Barry bowed slightly.

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Palmer said.

"Whoa!" Barry exclaimed, "Something smells awesome!"

Delia giggled at the remark, before asking, "Ash, did you get the sauce?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah," he handed her the bag.

May coughed slightly to get Ash's attention. He turned to her and smiled. "Oh, Barry, Palmer, this is my girlfriend, May," He said.

Palmer smiled and stepped forward, extending his hand towards May. "What a lovely young woman," he said politely, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

May blushed and bowed slightly before grabbing his hand and shaking it. "The pleasure is mine," She replied.

Palmer patted Ash's shoulder, "You got a fine taste in women," Palmer said, "Congratulations."

Barry on the other hand, was inspecting May from top to bottom. "Are you a coordinator?" he asked.

May smiled and nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?" she asked.

Barry shrugged, "You seem to be all about beauty..." May looked at him oddly, not really knowing how to respond.

Ash spoke up. "Wow Barry, you've gone over an hour without fining anyone, must be a new record," He said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Hey!" Barry exclaimed, making May jump, "That's no way to treat a guest; I'm totally going to fi- er... Never mind."

Ash smiled, stifling a laugh. "Keep it up, Barry, keep it up," he said.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Ketchum had laid out dinner; the warm food was spread all around the table. "Whooaaa," Barry said, gaping at the feast before him, it was as if he had never seen anything like it before in his life.<p>

"Oh man, Mom," Ash said, rubbing his hands together, "This is amazing, you've out done yourself!"

Delia smiled. "Well, dig in everyone, there's a lot of food to eat." she said.

Rattling and tapping swarmed the room as silverware and plates clacked together. Food was quickly placed on everyone's plates, before being eaten.

"Hey, where's Isaac?" Ash asked. Isaac indeed was not at the table.

His mother shrugged. "He said he was heading out to do a few things," she replied.

Palmer tilted his head. "Isaac?" he asked, exchanging glances with Barry.

"My fiancée," Mrs. Ketchum answered sweetly.

Palmer smiled. "Oh, you're getting married soon?" he asked.

Mrs. Ketchum nodded, "Yes, my first husband past away," she said, "I've finally decided to move on."

"Well congratulations," Palmer said, cutting a slice of beef, "I wish you two the best of luck."

Mrs. Ketchum smiled and thanked him for it kindness. Suddenly, May burst into laughter, Barry, who had been sitting across from her, had his face stuffed with food, his cheeks puffed out like balloons.

"Barry, where you're manners?" Palmer asked.

"But uts su gud!" Barry tried to say, but his mouth was too full of food. Ash, Pikachu, and Mrs. Ketchum joined May in her laughter.

Barry slowly progressed and managed to chew and swallow all the food in his mouth. "This is amazing!" he said, "I've never had something so delicious in my entire life!"

Mrs. Ketchum blushed at the kind complement. "Yes, it's very good," Palmer said, "Reminds me of my wife's cooking."

Mrs. Ketchum's face brightened, "Oh, maybe we could trade recipes some day," She said.

Palmer and Barry's face drooped. "She's passed away," he said sadly.

Mrs. Ketchum gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't realize-"

"It's no problem," Palmer said, interrupting her.

...

The table fell fairly silent, except for the constant clicking of silverware and plates. Ash and May exchanged glances, not really knowing what to say.

"How long are you staying in Pallet Town?" Mrs. Ketchum finally spoke up, breaking the unsettling silence.

Barry was the one to answer, "A few weeks or so."

Mrs. Ketchum's smile returned. "So you'll be in town on my wedding day?" she asked, "You should come!"

Palmer and Barry exchanged glances, seeming to like the idea. "Yeah, that would be nice," Palmer said.

"And you should come over dinner tomorrow too," She continued.

"Heck yeah!" Barry exclaimed.

"I'd hate to be a bother," Palmer said, "I don't like taking advantage of people like that."

Mrs. Ketchum waved it off. "Please, I love having company," she said, "Besides, I'd like for you to meet Isaac."

"We are totally going to be here tomorrow night!" Barry said before his dad could speak up.

Palmer sighed and shrugged. "Alright, sounds good," he finally agreed.

"Yes!" Barry exclaimed.

* * *

><p>May was lying in her bed, it was late at night, Palmer and Barry had long past left. She glanced at the clock, which read 12:27 am. She should have fallen asleep hours ago, but something was keeping her up. Something was wrong. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something that was bothering her, enough to keep her from sleeping.<p>

With a frustrated huff, she threw off her covers and sat up. It wasn't often that May wore pajamas, always being on the road prevented it, but now that she was settling down for a week or so, she figured she might as well wear them.

She glanced at the door, which was tightly shut, everyone else was asleep. Figuring maybe a drink of water would help her sleep, May stood up and walked over to the door, gripping the doorknob and gently turning it. With a light shove she pushed the door open and stepped out into the hallway. She glanced at Ash's door, which was also closed shut. May quietly walked over to his door and gently opened it. To her surprise, he wasn't sleeping in his bed like he expected. He was nowhere to be seen, leaving Pikachu asleep on the bed by himself.

The curtains hanging at the sides of the window swayed back and forth as the wind blew through the window, which was open.

Now curious, May stepped over to the window and glanced outside, she saw the ground a story below and above saw the roof, which could easily be climbed up. Taking a deep breath, May sat on the window sill and grabbed the roof, with a grunt she tried to pull herself up, but failed.

"May?" She heard Ash say. She peeked up at the roof and saw him sitting on it, looking at her with surprise. "Here let me help you," he said, quickly making his way down to he and pulling her up.

"You shouldn't be doing this, it's dangerous," Ash said.

May chuckled. "You have no room to talk," she told him.

They both scooted up to where Ash had been sitting before, May let out a sigh, laying her head down on Ash's shoulder. "Having trouble sleeping?" Ash asked.

May nodded. "Yeah, you?"

Ash took a deep breath. He lifted his hand and began to slowly stroke May's hair. "Yeah, seems like there's something bothering me, but I can't tell what," he explained.

May chuckled lightly. "Same here," she said, "I feel like something brewing..."

"... And that if we don't do something about it, something bad will happen," Ash finished for her. They smiled at each other.

"But what?" May asked.

Ash shrugged, "I don't know..." was all he said, "Maybe it has something to do with Barry, he can be pretty reckless at times."

"Ow," May complained, when Ash accidentally pulled on a knot in her hair.

"Oh, sorry," he said, ceasing the stroking.

...

"Do you come up here often?" May asked, gazing up at the stars.

Ash chuckled lightly, "Yeah, it's been my alone time spot," he explained.

May hummed happily. "Now it's our alone time spot," she said, snuggling in closer.

Ash smiled, "Yeah..."

* * *

><p>"And then I flipped the Tauros over my bare hands!"<p>

Ash's eyes went wide, "No way!" he exclaimed.

May tiredly sat at the table, sleepily stirring a cold bowl a cereal. Isaac was at the table telling different stories that didn't seem too creditable to May, but Ash took in every word.

"How do you flip over a Tauros?" Ash asked eagerly. May noticed a smirk on Isaac's face, she could tell he was messing with Ash.

"Well, you grab both their horns," Isaac began, pretending to grab to horns in front of him, making a twisting motion. "And flip it with man power!" he said, "But you have to have the guns," he said, pushing up his sleeve and kissing his muscular arm.

May rolled her eyes, this was stupid, how on earth did Ash buy this? _Almost everything Isaac said couldn't be possible_, May thought, _Maybe Ash just wants it to be true, and is convincing himself so._

May jumped when she heard a crash. Ash and Isaac had been arm wrestling, and Isaac had easily won, slamming Ash's left hand into a plate on the table, shattering the glass platter. "You got a little work to do, sport," Isaac said. Ash winced and rubbed his hand.

"Are you okay, Ash?" May asked.

Ash nodded, "Yeah, It just stings..." he said, not wanting to admit how painful it had actually been.

May's eyes grew wide with worry, "Ash... You're bleeding... And the back of your hand..."

Ash raised a brow and glanced at the back of his hand, letting out a yelp as he saw all the blood. "Ack!" He yelped, "Okay, maybe it hurts a tiny bit more than I admitted."

That was more than enough for May. "Mrs. Ketchum!" She exclaimed, "Get the first aid kit quick! Ash is hurt!"

With blinding speed, Mrs. Ketchum raced into the room with her first aid kit, gasping when she saw Ash's bleeding hand. "What happened?" She asked, sounding horrified.

Isaac sunk a little in his seat. Ash just laughed. "Oh I was just goofing around, it's not that big of a deal," He said. Mrs. Ketchum wordlessly nodded and sat down at the table, opening it up.

"May, can you get me a wet cloth?" she asked, May nodded and rushed to the closet where she remembered there being small rags. She grabbed one and quickly wet it, handing it to Mrs. Ketchum.

Ash winced but didn't say anything as the cold cloth touched his hand. In a matter of minutes, Mrs. Ketchum had cleaned Ash's hand and bandaged it up; he had a surprisingly large gash on his hand. May could only wonder how much force Isaac must have used to create such a wound.

_He must be incredibly strong_, May thought.

Mrs. Ketchum finished up Ash's hand and closed the first aid kit. "You hurt your hand pretty bad, young man," she said sternly, "No more goofing around."

She picked up the first aid kit, stood up from her seat, and stepped out of the room.

"Okay, another round, I'll use my other hand," Ash said, positioning himself, preparing his left hand.

"I don't think so," May said, grabbing his hand and setting it down. "You don't need to hurt both hands in one day."

Ash looked from Isaac to May before sighing. "Okay..." he said sadly.

"Um... I'm gonna go... For a walk," Isaac said before rushing outside, slamming the door closed behind him.

…

"Isn't he awesome?" Ash asked, "I mean he is super strong, and he knows a lot about Pokémon, and-"

"Ash, he busted your hand," May said, motioning to his wounded hand.

Ash shrugged, "Yeah, so?" he asked.

"If hanging out with Isaac means you're going to get all beat up, you and I need to have a serious talk," She told him. "You're way too important to me to just be squashed like a fly."

Ash sighed, lowering his head. "We were just having some innocent fun, he didn't mean to hurt me," he said.

May leaned forward, her brow touching his. "Ash, if someone hurt me like Isaac did you, how would you feel?"

Ash was about to speak, but stopped, thinking for a minute before sighing in defeat. "I'd be really mad," he said, "I'd probably sock him in the face," he shook his wounded hand, "But with my good hand, of course."

May smiled at his comment, lightly kissing him before sitting back down in a normal position. "Exactly, now do you understand my concern?"

Ash sighed and looked at his hand. "Yeah," he replied.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Ketchum had gone off to do some things in preparation of the wedding, and Isaac had still not returned from his walk. May and Ash sat on the couch back to back. Ash examined his hand, twisting his arm in different positions to get different views.<p>

May had done several different tests, making sure he could move each finger and pushing down on certain spots to see if it hurt. He thought she was over reacting, and maybe she was, but May was like that. Ever since that contest were she forced Bulbsaur to battle, embarrassing herself in front of her friends and the audience, she had be determined to be more careful and show more concern when in those situations.

"Don't feel mad at Isaac," Ash said, "It wasn't intentional."

May gave him a quizzed look. "What makes you think I'm mad at him?" she asked.

Ash adjusted his position on the couch. "We've been together for quite a while," he said, "I can read you like a book."

May was indeed feeling a little steamed. She knew what Isaac had done wasn't intentional, but she couldn't help but twitch in anger when she thought about it. She let out a guilty sigh, nodding her head. "Okay, fine, maybe I am a little ticked," she admitted.

Ash chuckled. "If anyone should be ticked, it's me," he said.

"Yeah, well..." May stammered, trying to defend herself, "I don't know, I'm just a bit mad."

Ash shrugged, "Well you need to get over it pretty soon," he said.

They sat there quietly for a minute. The room was silent except for Pikachu's light snoring, which he let out as he laid on Ash's lap.

"I'll probably get over it tomorrow," May said, "I seem to forgive things after a good night's sleep."

...

"Hey, want to see where the wedding it going to take place?" Ash asked.

May's face perked up and she excitedly nodded. "Yeah! That would be fun!" she said. She quickly got up off the couch and ran to get ready to leave. Ash gently woke up Pikachu and told him where they were going. Pikachu seemed happy with the idea and climbed up onto Ash's shoulder.

The two teens stepped out of the house and began to walk down the road, where Ash led May to a large hill. The hill was in the opposite direction of the town, and about a half a mile away from the Ketchum Residence.

The two trudged up the hill, stopping and looking around when they reached the top. "It's beautiful," May whispered. The hill was fairly high she could see over the trees and the rooftops.

"Yeah, this is where Mom and my first dad used to hang out when they were young," Ash said, smiling and taking a deep breath of fresh air. "She said they use to lay in the grass when they were our age and look up into the sky, watching the clouds slowly float by."

Ash chuckled slightly and motioned to the slope. "And when they got bored of that, they would roll down the side of the hill," he said, "and then come back up and roll down again."'

Ash sighed and folded his arms. "Mom holds a lot of memories on this hill," he said, "Some of her and Dad's most precious moments took place up here..."

May smiled as she watched Ash admire the hill and its magnificent view. "She always said Dad was insane," he said with a chuckle, "One time, they packed a picnic to have up this hill, and as a joke, he emptied out the basket and left the food at home."

May smile widened, "Oh? And what happened?"

Ash chuckled again. "She wasn't too pleased, but he got a kick out of it," he said, "Unfortunately for him, she made him walk all the way back home to get the food."

May laughed, and which Pikachu joined in. She grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him to the ground, where they both laid in the cool grass. Together, they watched the clouds.

"What was his name?" May asked, looking at Ash.

Ash took a deep breath and laughed lightly. "That was another thing," he said, "Dad always went by the nickname 'Silver'. Mom never knew his real name until their wedding day."

May hummed in amusement. "He sounds like he was an interesting man," she said.

Ash shrugged, "Yeah..." he said, "I just wish I could have known him."

Feeling bad for Ash, May snuggled into his side, hoping to comfort him. After a while, Ash grunted and sat up. "Okay, I'm bored, let's go roll down the hill," he suggested.

* * *

><p>Isaac finally return home after his seemingly extremely long walk. And Mrs. Ketchum came back from planning the wedding. Ash and May once again scurried up to Ash's room when Isaac and Deliah began to passionately kiss.<p>

"Those two need to get a room," Ash grumbled as he closed the door.

Shortly afterward they heard the doorbell ring, although only Pikachu ran out of the room to see who is was. After a minute or so, he returned with Barry, who peeked into the room before stepping in.

"Hey, Ash," He said, sitting down on the floor with them. "What's up?"

The three talked for a while but where interrupted when Ash's mother called them for dinner. Barry bolted out of the room quickly followed by Ash with May hot on his heels. Pikachu scurried to the dining room not far behind.

"Oh yeah!" Barry exclaimed excitedly as he sat down at the table, which was again covered with food. "This is totally the highlight of my day!"

Delia smiled and nodded sitting down. What made this meal different from the one the previous night was that Isaac was there this time. He and Palmer began a light conversation.

"So what do you do for a living?" Palmer asked Isaac.

Isaac shrugged. "I don't have a job," he said, "I'm currently living off an inheritance. How about you?"

Palmer smiled proudly. "I'm the proud frontier brain of the Battle Tower," he said, "I have a secondary job too, but I'm not allowed to talk about that."

Ash and May exchanged glances at that statement. What else did Palmer do?

"Oh man, these meat balls are to die for," Barry said.

Ash laughed, "Geez, Barry, you're acting like you've never eaten a real home cooked meal before," he said.

Barry thought for a minute, letting out a long 'hmmmmm'. "Nope," he said, "I don't think I have, except for last night of course."

* * *

><p>May, sat on her bed, looking through her Pokédex. She was waiting for Ash to finish his shower. Isaac and Delia were downstairs talking about who knows what, and Pikachu was with May, watching her as she played around with her device.<p>

May lifted her head and looked around when she heard a phone ring. It didn't sound like it was in her room, but on the other side of the wall, in Isaac's room. May set down the Pokédex and walked out into the hall. The ringing must have been coming from Isaac's cell phone, which she saw also vibrating on the dresser in his room. Figuring she should probably grab his phone and give it to him, she went into his room and picked up the cell.

May froze when she saw the name on the caller ID: "_Dad_"

* * *

><p><strong>For people who are observant, you'll be able to catch onto what's going on. Hopefully you all do, or I would be concerned...<strong>

**Yep, things are gonna get a lot more interesting in the next chapter.**

**You're all probably like "**

**_Wth is up with Barry and Palmer? How could they have any significance in this story?_" My answer is, patience, all will be revealed eventually, you only just completed chapter 2.**

**Anyways, besides Lessons Learned, this is the only story I've had no problem writing. It's a nice sized plot for five chapters. I'm really happy with it.**

**Enough about that, it's time to advertise myself. I'm posting new advanceshipping content every day for the next few weeks, so be sure to add me to your author's alerts so you are one of the first to know when I've posted new and exciting content. :D**

**With a goofy grin,**  
><strong>The Shiny Gengar<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Threats**

* * *

><p><strong>I'm discovering I like one worded chapter titles. They can give just a glimpse of what's to come without revealing anything. Although if you're doing a Pokémon battle and you don't want the reader to that the protagonist won, don't title the chapter "Victory"... Unless you're retarded.<strong>

**Someone asked me the other day how I write my stories and junk, I'll give you a quick step by step thingamajig.**

**1) Develop idea: Typically either comes randomly or I get inspiration from movies, books, or other fanficton.**

**2) Develop idea more: Yeah, typically idea is one phrase, no plot, no story, just an idea. Then I have to figure out how to make it work, and think of things I want to see happen in the fic.**

**3) Type: I type all my Fanfictions on the notes app on my iPod Touch. It's a pain at times, but I can easily listen to music and it's super convenient, I can literally do it anywhere.**

**4) Check and recheck: After I write it, I read over it again on my iPod, and then AGAIN on the computer. **

**5) Upload: Smack that bad boy on fanficton, place the line separator thing, and fix the bold and italics, which FF loves to mess up. (Fix that dang it!)**

**Yeah, I call it the Didimtcru plan... Okay not really, it doesn't have a name. Yeah, it's probably no different from anyone else's plans, nothing special... Just explaining it...**

**Oh, and Yin-Yang Yo-Yo is going to be my new beta reader :D, I'm not sure if I should congratulate him or apologize...**

**Enough Author's note.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

><p><em>May, sat on her bed, looking through her Pokédex. She was waiting for Ash to finish his shower. Isaac and Delia were downstairs talking about who knows what, and Pikachu was with May, watching her as she played around with her Pokédex.<em>

_May lifted her head and looked around when she heard a phone ring. It didn't sound like it was in her room, but on the other side of the wall, in Isaac's room. May set down the Pokédex and walked out into the hall. The ringing must have been coming from Isaac's cell phone, which she saw also vibrating on the dresser in his room. Figuring she should probably grab his phone and give it to him, she went into his room and picked up the cell._

_May froze when she saw the name on the caller ID: "Dad"_

May gazed at the lit up name on the screen, which faded after the ringing stopped. After a few seconds the screen lit up again and let out a short "ding" signifying that there was a new message. Gulping, May pressed the button on the phone to listen to the message.

_"Hey, Isaac, this is Dad, just checking up to see how you're doing. I still haven't found a new job since I got laid off, but I'm still looking. I'm out of cash and need money, fast. You can call me back whenever you feel like, you know my number. Okay, bye."_

*click*

May quietly set down Isaac's phone and she walked back into her room and sat down on her bed, grabbing a pillow and hugging it tightly.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

"It's nothing..." May said, not even looking at him. She just gazed at the wall as her mind began to reel. Recalling a conversation she had with Isaac at the diner on the first day they had met.

_"What do you do or a living?"_

"I'm unemployed, I don't work."

"But you're so wealthy."

"Um... My father's inheritance... Yeah, he left a truck load of money for me after he passed away."

Passed away...

_It doesn't make sense_, May thought, _if Isaac's dad has passed away, then who was that on the phone? And if his dad was alive, where was he getting his money?  
><em>  
><em>"I still haven't found a new job since I got laid off, but I'm still looking. I'm out of cash and need money, fast."<em>

_His Dad didn't even have a job, so he wasn't getting it from him_. May moaned, now worried. Either Isaac wasn't being honest, or there was a huge misunderstanding going on. May could only hope it was the later.

May jumped when she heard a knock on the door. "May, you can take a shower now," Ash said from the other side of the door.

"Okay, thanks," May said. Pikachu had run out of her room and back to his trainer upon hearing his voice. May grabbed her pajamas walked out of her room and into the bathroom. She pulled off her clothes, not really thinking about what she was doing, lost in her own world of thoughts.

_Should I tell Ash or Mrs. Ketchum about this? _May thought to herself.

She stepped into the shower and turned on the water, still thinking. _No, it's too soon, she thought I can't jump to conclusions, I need to figure a few things out.  
><em>  
><em>I could totally be wrong<em>... She continued, _But_... _He said his dad was dead... And then he gets a call from someone who is supposedly his dad? What's going on?  
><em>  
>It was crazy; this one message seemed to completely flip her world upside-down. Everything she thought she knew about Isaac could have possibly been a lie. For the sake of Ash, Mrs. Ketchum, and even herself, she determined that she had to get to the bottom of this.<p>

_I have to clear things up and figure out what's going on_, she thought, her hands rapidly rubbing shampoo in her hair, _I have to..._

* * *

><p>May and Isaac sat in the living room. The living room occupied two couches, which faced each other, May sat on one, Isaac sat on the other.<p>

"So Isaac," May began, trying to sound casual. "How long ago did your father die?"

Isaac looked up from the magazine he was reading. "Um... About a year ago," he mumbled.

May tilted her head, so Isaac still was sticking to the fact his dad was dead. "Oh really? That's a shame," May said, "How did he die?"

Isaac sighed, sounding a little annoyed; he turned the page of his magazine. "Err... Cancer, in his Uh... Spleen..."

...

"Oh," May said, "How'd you take it? I bet you miss him."

Isaac stared at May for a second, as if suspiciously examining her. "Yeah..." he said, not taking his gaze off May.

May held onto her look of ignorance, not wanting Isaac to think she was on to something. "Did your mom ever remarry?" May ask, "Or did someone else take you in as their son?"

Isaac looking at May, as if trying to read her thoughts. "Why are you asking me these things?" He asked her.

May shrugged innocently. "Oh, you know, just trying to get to know you better," May said.

Isaac snorted. "No, if you must know," Isaac said, May's heart skipped a beat. "I have no other person I would call a father."

May did her best to look calm. "O-Oh," she stammered, "That's too bad..."

Isaac silently shrugged and continued to read his magazine. May stood up and walked out of the living room, and up the stairs. She glanced at Ash's door before she stepped into her room.

_Isaac doesn't have a dad_, May thought to herself, _so who was the guy calling? It doesn't make any sense...  
><em>  
>May didn't know what to do, should she tell anybody about what she knew? Or was that a bad idea? What if she was actually wrong, and there was just a huge misunderstanding.<p>

"I need more info," May said, she didn't have enough knowledge or evidence to confirm whether Isaac had a dad or not.

_Wait_, May thought, why _is this even a big deal? He claims he lost his father even though he didn't, that's nothing to fuss over._

She flopped down on her bed and growled in frustration. _But that meant he lied to Ash and I, and possibly Mrs. Ketchum. Maybe it's has to do with something personal, and he had to lie to keep it a secret..._

_... But then where does he get his money? _May knew Isaac was fairly wealthy; he wore expensive clothes and stuff. He had to be getting that money from somewhere and it wasn't from where he had been telling them.

_Maybe he's a criminal, and robs banks, or an undercover agent! _May thought, she didn't know what was going on, but she definitely wanted to.

"What is Isaac hiding?" she asked aloud.

* * *

><p>May kept a close eye on Isaac for a rest of the day, waiting to see if he made any trips anywhere or left the house to go on a walk. But he never did, he just loafed around the house all morning.<p>

She never told Ash her motives, she knew he had been uncomfortable before he met Isaac, she didn't to worry him with what she had found out, especially if it was all just false assumption.

Isaac didn't seem to notice her watching him all day, which she preferred. Unfortunately, there were a few distractions May couldn't pass up.

"Hey May, want to go have a picnic on the hill?" Ash asked. May didn't want to say no, as much as she felt she needed to watch Isaac. She agreed and they packed up.

May found herself walking down the dirt road next to Ash, who was holding the basket. A thought dawned on her, "Wait a minute!" she exclaimed, snatching away the basket from Ash's hands. She opened it and looked inside.

Ash burst into laughter. "You really think I would do that?" He asked, "Come all this way without the food?"

May huffed and handed the basket back to Ash. "I was just checking," she told him.

"I wouldn't copy my old dad like that," Ash said, "Besides, I figured you would be suspicious."

May smiled and hugged Ash, "You know me well," she said.

They reached the hill and trudged up it, May spread out the blanket, where she, Ash, and Pikachu sat down. "Are you okay, May?" Ash asked, "You're really tense."

May let out a deep breath leaning on Ash. "I'm fine," she told him. She didn't like lying to Ash, she wanted to tell him what was wrong, but she needed more proof.

May laid her head down on Ash's shoulder and sighed, trying to take her mind off the situation.

As they ate lunch and talked, May couldn't get her mind off Isaac. She couldn't enjoy herself, and as much as she tried to hide it, Ash could see right through her.

"May, I know something's bothering you," Ash said, "You can tell me what's wrong."

May looked at Ash for a long, hard minute, in which he looked back. May's bottom lip quivered as she began to speak. "Oh, Ash..." she said sadly, "I wish I could tell you..."

Ash tilted his head. "You can," he said, "I'm here for you."

May looked away from Ash. "I-I can't... Not yet..." she said.

Deciding not to pursue the topic any further, Ash hugged May closely, hoping to comfort her. The rest of their time together was silent; they simply enjoyed each other's company.

Eventually they packed up their stuff and walked back home. May had recovered from her wave of sadness and clicked back into watch mode.

"Hey hon bon, I'm heading out," Isaac shouted as he walked out the front door, slamming it shut. May's heart flipped and she quickly hurried out the door herself.

"I think I'm going to go for a short walk," May called out, being sure to quietly exit the house. She quietly walked to the road and glanced both ways, seeing Isaac head towards town. She slowly began to follow him, making sure to keep a decent distance from him.

Isaac never bothered to glance behind him, much to May's relief. She made sure to walk on the side of the road so that she could dive out of sight in case Isaac did look back. The man continued down the road, his hands stuffed in his pocket, May could hear him whistling but couldn't make out the tune.

Eventually they reached town, were May was forced to shorten the distance between Isaac and herself in order not to lose him as he rounded corners and journeyed deeper into downtown.

"Where you going, Isaac?" May murmured quietly. She was careful to keep out of his sight, ducking behind other people if Isaac turned even a little, just to seem less obvious, May also removed her bandana in case he did see her.

Isaac began to take odd and unexpected turns, going down alleyways. At first May thought that he had noticed her and was trying to shake her off, but she realized he was taking short cuts, cutting in-between buildings to access different roads quicker. Eventually, he turned behind a building, where May could hear him happily greet a group of people.

May hid behind a garbage can and quickly stole a peak at what was going on. Isaac walked up to three other men, greeting then merrily and patting their backs.

"So how is your current project going?" one of the men asked. May perked up.

Isaac laughed. "I'm telling you, the female race is seriously stupid," he answered, May scowled at the comment, careful to keep her mouth shut.

The four men laughed, May could hear one guy pop open a bottle of beer. "You found another one already?" one man asked, "Tell me more."

May heard Isaac laugh again. "This one is going to be my biggest cash in yet," he said, "We're talking serious dollar signs and zeros, lots and lots of zeros."

"Oh really? How much exactly?"

"No less than half a million, maybe even more."

"_Half a million?_" one man exclaimed, "That's some serious money!"

"Hold on," another man said, "I'm confused, what's going on."

"I'm making a living," Isaac began, "by using rich chicks."

...

"What?"

One of the other men sighed. "Isaac gets his money differently from you and I," he explained, "he uses those good looks of his to his advantage."

"Yeah," another man continued, "Basically he finds some wealthy, single woman, and takes her money."

"How does that even work?" the confused man asked.

"It's simple, they 'fall in love' and he gains the woman's trust," a man said, "Then, when he gains access to the money, he takes it all and heads for the hills."

May's eyes went wide and she gasped. _So that's where he gets all his money! _She thought.

"Tell us about this girl, Isaac," one man suggested.

Isaac scratched his head, embarrassed. "She's a beauty, but she's so gullible," he began, "Her last husband died years ago and left her a ton of cash. I think she became desperate to find a man, she was getting lonely. Once I showed interest in her, it's been a piece of cake."

"What's she like?" One man asked.

"She's really energetic, but like I said, she's stupid, she literally believes everything I say," Isaac said, May's face darkened with anger. "She has a son, who must have inherited her energy, he's a brat who's just as gullible as she is. I hurt his hand on accident the other day and he pretended to be all tough and not care just to impress me."

May couldn't believe what she was hearing, Isaac was a total phony.

"And even worse is his girlfriend," Isaac continued, "She's really annoying and asks way too many questions. I don't know what that twerp sees in her, she's a dumb, ugly, brunette in my opinion."

It took all of May's self-control to stay still, all she wanted to do at that moment was pop out and tear Isaac to pieces.

"But there is a bit of a problem," Isaac said, "This woman won't grant me access to the account with all the money until we're married, so I have to actually go through a wedding this time."

The men all laughed, "What do you plan to do once you're _'husband and wife'_?" one of his friends asked.

Isaac snorted. "I'll wed her, and then have a little fun, give her another twerp to take care of, you know? And then I nab the money and I'm gone."

All the men laughed together. May couldn't believe what she was hearing, sure she had suspected Isaac of something, but this was outrageous! _I can't let this happen_, May thought, beginning to sneak away, _I need to warn Ash a-._

"Oof!" May grunted, she had bumped into another man, tall and muscular.

"Well what are you doing, snooping around here?" The man asked, his low voice sent chills down May spine. He grabbed her wrist in an iron grasp and began to drag her back to where Isaac and his friends were.

"Zach, where you been man? We've been waiting for you!" Isaac called out as he saw the man holding May approach them.

"I found this little brat wandering around back here," Zach said, shoving May in front of him, "Looked like she was listening in on your conversation."

Isaac scowled as he looked down at May, "You..." he grumbled angrily.

A man behind Isaac spoke up. "Hey... Is that the annoying girl you were-"

"Yes," Isaac answered, he crouched down to May's eye level. "Were you listening in on our conversation, May?" he asked.

May scowled and glared at Isaac. Despite the fact that she felt like screaming, May was determined not to show fear.

"I'll take that as a yes," Isaac said, surprisingly calmly. "Now listen here, brat. You aren't going to tell anyone what you heard today, you understand?"

Isaac spoke calmly, smoothly, and eerily. May's skin crawled as he spoke, it was as if he was plotting, or already had a plan. He showed no sign of fear, but it was clear he was angry.

May spit in Isaac's face, causing him to yelp and wipe it off with his sleeve. May took the brief opportunity to run, but she didn't get far. Zach grabbed her and lifted her into the air, setting her down back in front of Isaac, but he held both her arms behind her back. Isaac glared at May and cursed.

"What should we do?" Zach asked, "Should we get rid of her?"

Isaac shook his head. "No," he said, "It would leave too much evidence."

Suddenly Isaac began to chuckle. "Such a young, stupid girl," he said, "But helpless too." he ran a hand down May's side, causing her to shiver. "It would be a shame if something unpleasant were to happen to someone so helpless."

May looked at him in disgust and horror, finally showing her fear. "Oh no, that's not my kind of thing, I don't like to get my hands too dirty," Isaac said, "But these guys don't mind..."

The men began Isaac began to chuckle deviously. May scowled and growled at Isaac, putting a brave face on again.

"Do whatever you want to me," May growled, "But I won't let you hurt Mrs. Ketchum like that!"

Isaac growled in annoyance, but then smirked. "Fine then," he began devilishly, "But what about Ash? It would be a shame if he something happened to him as well?"

May's eyes widened, "You wouldn't!"

"Oh I would," Isaac again lowered himself to May's eye level. "Let this be a warning," Isaac said, looked May in the eyes. "If you ever blab to anyone about what you've heard, these guys can do whatever they want to you and your precious little boyfriend." He motioned to his friends.

Zach let May go, and she took off, rounding the building and getting back to the main road. "Follow her," Isaac said.

* * *

><p>As May walked through the downtown area of Pallet Town, she was constantly looking around, and to her dismay saw one of Isaac's friends hiding in the crowd. She broke into a run and rushed out of the downtown area. As fast as she could, she ran back to the Ketchum Residence. She rushed through the front door, dashed up the stairs and into her room, locking the door shut.<p>

_Oh man... Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man_, May thought, pacing across her room. What do I do?

_I can't just sit around and wait for Isaac to run off with Mrs. Ketchum's money_, May thought, _but I can't just go and tell Ash and Mrs. Ketchum, or... or..._

May peaked out of the blinds hanging over the window; two of Isaac's friends were standing on the opposite side of the road in front of the house. They certainly weren't making an effort to stay hidden.

_I'm screwed_... May thought, sinking down to her bed.

***Knock* *knock *knock***

May froze, watching the door and grabbing the closest thing to her, which was the blanket on her bed.

"May, are you okay?"

May let out a sigh of relief when she heard Ash's voice. She got up off the bed and unlocked the door, opening it up to see her smiling boyfriend.

His smile disappeared when he saw her. "May, are you okay?" he asked again, "You seem worse than before."

May took a deep breath and wordlessly grabbed Ash, hugging him tightly. Although he seemed confused, he responded and hugged her back. May groaned and buried her face in the crook of Ash's neck.

Although May didn't notice, Isaac came up the steps and looked at Ash and May, walking past them and disappearing into his room.

After a minute, Ash began to loosen his grip around May.

"Don't let me go," May said, hugging Ash tightly, "Don't let me go..."

* * *

><p>Mrs. Ketchum had invited Palmer and Barry over for dinner again. She obviously enjoyed their company. They all sat around the table eating, everyone was chatting and conversing, except for May. She couldn't enjoy herself for anything, especially when Isaac glared at her.<p>

She just timidly sat in her seat, slowly eating her food. She wasn't hungry, nor did she feel like talking. Every time someone asked her something, she put on a fake smile and nodded or shook her head.

"Another excellent meal, hun bun," Isaac said as Mrs. Ketchum picked up several plates and carried them into the kitchen.

"Let me help you with those," Palmer said, standing up and following Delia into the kitchen, "After all you've done for us it would be a crime for me not to help out."

May cringed and glared at Isaac as Palmer said "_crime,_" a glare which Isaac returned. May couldn't take it anymore; she got up from her seat and rushed up the stairs.

"May? Where you going?" Ash asked, but she simply ignored him and ran into her room, slamming her door shut. She sighed and sat down on her bed. She heard footsteps approach her room before there was a light knock on her door.

"May, can I come in?" Ash asked from the otherwise of the closed door.

May took a deep breath. "Yeah..." she said. The doorknob jiggled and Ash opened the door.

Without a word, he stepped in, closed the door, and sat down on the bed next to May. "May, what's wrong?" Ash asked, "Ever since you came back from your walk you haven't been yourself."

May remained silent for a minute, Ash waited patiently for her to answer. May glanced at the door, by looking at the bottom of the door; she could tell someone was standing on the other side, listening to their conversation, Isaac most likely.

"Nothing," May said, "Nothing's wrong."

Ash chuckled, almost amused. "May, I know you too well, I can tell something is bothering you."

May looked at him, she wanted to tell him about Isaac so badly, she needed to tell him, but for the sake of him and herself, she couldn't.

"It's my stomach, it hurts a little," May lied. Ash rose up from the bed.

"Do you want me to go get you something for it?" he asked her, but May shook her head, patting where he had been sitting before.

"No, it's not that bad," May said, "Stay here."

Even when she knew her every move was being monitored by a horrible, selfish thief, Ash's presence made her feel a little more secure. She leaned on him as he sat back down, exhaling deeply.

_This insecurity is going to drive be crazy_, May thought.

* * *

><p><strong>And that, my friends, is why this story is rated T. But have no fear, it won't go beyond that. I'm not one for going too overboard with ratings and stuff like that.<strong>

**Yep, so for those who have been reading all my fics lately, which one is your favorite? I'm interested to know which stories and stuff you all like, so leave a friendly review and tell me.**

**I'm estimating there's a 93.46% chance you already know about this, but for that other 6.54% I've been posting advanceshipping content every day and will continue doing so until I run out of content, I've gotten four stories, five chapters each all written and waiting to be posted, so be sure to add me to your author's notes to get updates on when I post, it's not something you will regret (Unless you're a dedicated pearlshipper or something, I guess.)**

**The Shiny Gengar**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Stalker**

* * *

><p><strong>Hit some serious writers block here. Ever have that moment when you know what you want to do, but don't know how to get to that point in the desired amount of words? I certainly do.<strong>

**But then you hit a gold mine, and you literally figure the entire thing out in 10 seconds.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

><p><strong>*Ding dong*<strong>

The doorbell rang loudly through the house. Ash walked up to the front door and opened it up, finding the orange haired girl with a love for water type Pokémon standing before him.

"Oh hey, Misty," Ash said, "What brings you here?"

Misty looked at him oddly, "Um, your mom's wedding of course," she said.

Ash tilted his head. "But mom's wedding isn't for another three days," Ash said.

Misty smiled and nodded. "I know," she began, "but I figured I'd come early and hang out with you and May."

Ash's face brightened and he stepped out of her way, allowing Misty to step into the house. "Awesome," he said.

**88888**

May sat on her bed, tying her shoes, with a satisfied sigh; she stood up and walked to the door. She swung it open and jumped when she saw Isaac standing before her; he must have been hiding behind the door.

"Just checking," Isaac said sternly.

May scowled and looked in her room, "There's nobody in there!" she exclaimed.

Isaac pointed at on the top of the dresser, a cordless phone was charging on its dock. May growled and rolled her eyes; she stomped over to the phone and grabbed it, handing it to Isaac.

"There! Now can I have some privacy!" May asked angrily.

Isaac nodded. "Just remember," he began, "If you step out of line it's-" he motioned as if slitting his throat, "-for you and Ash."

Despite May's uneasiness, she was determined to look unaffected by the threat. With that, Isaac wordlessly turned around and walked away.

_I'm going to kill you someday_, May thought, _nobody threatens me like that!_

"Hey, May!" Ash called out, "Come down and look at who's here!"

Without any hesitation, May rushed to the stairs, only briefly checking herself in the mirror as she walked by it to confirm that she was presentable. She quickly bounded down the steps and found Ash and Pikachu along with Misty.

"Oh, hey Misty," May said, smiling at the gym leader, "How's life treating you?"

Misty rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I'm surprised my sisters gave me enough time off to attend this wedding," she said, "They never give me breaks."

May laughed and put on a smile. She couldn't hide her uneasiness from Ash, but she didn't want Misty to begin to worry as well.

Mrs. Ketchum stepped into the room and smiled. "Oh, Misty, I see you made it," she said. Misty smiled and nodded.

"Hey, where is Misty going to sleep?" Ash asked, "Both the guest rooms are taken."

Mrs. Ketchum blushed slightly, "Oh, Isaac is going to move into my room," Delia said, "He was going to after our honeymoon anyways, so it's not that big of a deal."

Hearing Mrs. Ketchum say that almost made May gag. Every time she thought about someone as sweet as Mrs. Ketchum being with a bastard like Isaac, May got sick to her stomach. Hearing that was almost too much for her.

Ash seemed a little uneasy about the situation as well. "Oh..." was all he said.

"Isaac already moved his stuff out of the room," Mrs. Ketchum continued, "So you can show Misty to her room."

Ash nodded and began to climb up the stairs, Misty following behind.

"May? Are you okay?"

May snapped back to her senses, looking at Mrs. Ketchum. "You're a little pale, are you feeling alright?" the woman asked.

May put on a fake smile. "I'm fine," she said, her words sounded hollow. She turned her back to Mrs. Ketchum and went back up the stairs, finding Ash and Misty in Isaac's old room.

"It smells really nice in here," Misty said, sniffing the air. May could smell Isaac's deodorant still lingering in the room, a scent which she had recently grown to dislike, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Yeah, that's Isaac's deodorant," Ash said.

"It smells like power," Misty said, "It must be Old Spice."

_For smelling like power, Isaac sure is a coward, stealing from women_, May thought, _he's not worthy of donning Old Spice.  
><em>  
>"So I haven't yet to meet this Isaac fellow yet," Misty said, "Would you mind introducing him to me."<p>

Ash's face brightened. "Yeah! Follow me," He said, stepping out of the room. Misty once again followed him out, with a reluctant May trailing behind. She didn't even want to be near Isaac.

They all bounded down the stairs, Ash turned into the living room, finding Isaac sitting on the couch watching television. "Hey Isaac," Ash said, "I'd like you to meet Misty, an old friend of mine."

Isaac looked away from the television and smiled, extending his hand out to Misty for a handshake. "A friend of Ash's is a friend of mine," he said with a toothy grin.

Misty smiled and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you," she said. May cringed as their skin touch, she want to shout and warn Misty to be careful. She bit her lower lip and held back though, refraining from doing anything stupid.

May laid a hand on Ash's back, getting his attention. "I'm going to go get some fresh air," May said, she pecked him on the lips and rushed out of the house.

Ash watched sadly as May left, letting out a long sigh. "What's wrong, Ash?" Misty asked.

Ash shrugged. "Something is bothering May," he said, "But she won't tell me what."

"I'm sure it's just a faze," Isaac said, waving it off, "Girls go through that sometimes."

"Maybe she's just not ready to tell you yet," Misty said, "Just give her some time, I'm sure everything will be fine."

Ash watched May walk down the road through the front window. "I hope so," he said.

* * *

><p>May gazed at the ground as she walked down the road, deep in thought. <em>Gosh darn it, everything is either about or reminds me of Isaac<em>, May thought, kicking a pebble off the road, _I have to get away, I have to get my mind off him.  
><em>  
>She had no way of telling anyone about Isaac, even if she did and she was lucky enough to have him caught, his lackeys would come after her and Ash. If Ash got hurt because of her, she would never forgive herself, she couldn't risk it.<p>

_There has to be a way to stop Isaac and his friends_, May thought, _I can't just sit here and wait for him to run off with Mrs. Ketchum's fortune.  
><em>  
>May pondered about what to do, she couldn't really develop any ideas that she would be sure would work. Her main problem was her lack of proof. What where the odds that Officer Jenny would believe a teenage girl who claimed a man was going to rob a woman of her money?<p>

May eventually found herself in front of a bakery, she could smell freshly baked cookies wafting in the air. _Maybe a cookie would help me feel better_, she thought. She stepped over to the shop and gently pushed the door open, ringing the doorbell that hung over it. The bakery was warm and inviting, and smell of baked bread made May almost drool.

_"... And all he left was a Gengar..."_

May turned towards the voice and was surprised to see Palmer and Barry sitting at a table, bending over some sheets of paper.

"Hey you guys," May said, walking over to them with a smile on her face, "What are you doing here?"

Palmer and Barry looked up in surprise. "Oh, hello, May," Palmer said, "We're just doing some work. What brings you here?"

May shrugged. "I've been feeling a little down lately, I thought I would treat myself to a cookie," she answered.

Palmer sat back in his seat. "What are you feeling down about?" he asked.

May sighed and scratched her head, knowing she couldn't tell him. Knowing Isaac, she was probably being watched by one of his friends. "Oh, I just have a little problem," she answered.

Palmer frowned. "Well that's too bad," he said, "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm all ears," he said.

May smiled. "That's sweet of you," she said.

Palmer chuckled. "Well, it's part of my job, helping people that is," he said, "Oh, and I suggest getting the snicker-doodles, they're great."

"Or the peanut butter cookies," Barry added, "Those are awesome too!"

May thanked them and walked to the counter, asking for a few cookies. She paid the pastries and walked to the door. "See you guys tonight for dinner," May said.

Barry smiled, "Heck yeah, you will!" he exclaimed.

May stepped out of the bakery and began to walk down the road back to the Ketchum residence. She pulled a cookie put out the bag and took a bite, _Palmer wasn't kidding when he said the snicker-doodles were good_, she thought.

Aside from Ash, food was definitely the best way for May to get her mind off something bothering her. The snicker-doodle seemed to do the trick. Even after walking into the house and smelling Isaac's deodorant, May kept her mind off him and hurried up the stairs with her cookies. She stepped into Ash's room and found Misty and Ash sitting on the floor, talking about who knows what.

"I brought cookies," May said.

The word "_cookies_" immediately got Ash's attention. "Sweet!" he said, jumping to his feet, "What kind?"

May peered into the bag, "Um, peanut butter and snicker-doodles," she said.

Ash face lit up, "Awesome! I love snicker-doodles!"

The three sat down on the floor, eating the cookies from the bag. May had to hand it to Barry; the peanut butter cookies were really good as well.

"I saw Palmer and Barry at the bakery I went to," May said.

Ash tilted his head. "Really?" he asked, "What were they doing there?"

May shrugged. "I honestly don't know, some sort of paper work or something," she said, "They mentioned a Gengar."

Ash scratched his chin. "Hm, weird," was all he said, he pulled another cookie from the bag, handing it to Pikachu.

The three sat on the floor for a while, talking about different things; May didn't think about Isaac much, except for a brief moment when she thought she smelt his deodorant as he walked past the door, possibly listening in on their conversation.

_Gosh darn it, Isaac_, May thought, _leave me alone!_

* * *

><p>Another several hours went by; eventually the smell of dinner began to loom about the house. Mrs. Ketchum was clearly cooking up another meal.<p>

The doorbell rang, followed by a quick knock. Ash, May, Misty, and Pikachu hurried downstairs to greet Palmer and Barry once again. Mrs. Ketchum smiled brightly when she saw that her two guests arrived. "It's always nice to have guests," she said.

Mrs. Ketchum and Palmer talked a lot at the dinner table, chatting about different things in Pallet Town and adventures Palmer had experienced.

"So you're a gym leader, right?" Barry asked, referring to Misty.

Misty nodded proudly. "Yep, the gym leader of the Cerulean Gym," she boasted.

Barry nodded. "Cool," he said, "what's it like being a gym leader?"

Misty proceeded to tell Barry about the responsibilities of a gym leader, and how she always had a long line of trainers to battle each day, the cleaning that had to be done, taking care of the Pokémon, and fitting enough time for training.

"So basically it's life consuming," Barry established.

Misty nodded, "Pretty much, I don't get much free time."

May nodded. "Yeah, my Dad is a gym leader, and he's always super busy."

Barry thought for a moment, sticking a huge spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth. "So what type to you specialize in?" he asked.

Misty smiled and beamed proudly. "Water type," she said, "That's my favorite."

Barry's face brightened. "Hey, I bet you would like my Empoleon," he said.

Misty tilted her head, "Empoleon?" she asked.

Barry nodded, "Yeah, a water type from the Sinnoh region!"

Misty's face lit up. "Oh, cool," she said, "I'd love to see it."

"Okay," Barry said, setting his silverware down, "Let's go!" he jumped to his feet and dashed outside. Ash, May, and Misty exchanged glances before shrugging and following him outside.

Mrs. Ketchum smiled as she watched the four head outside. "Oh, to be young again..." she murmured, picking up several dishes off the table.

Palmer smiled and wiped his face with a napkin. "Indeed, let me help you with those," he said, picking up a few plates as well.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Empoleon, come out!" Barry shouted as he released his Pokémon, Misty watched with keen interest.<p>

When the Water/Steel type came out, Misty's eyes grew wide and she squealed in delight. She approached Empoleon and began to inspect him from head to toe. "He's amazing," Misty sighed in astonishment. Empoleon seemed a bit embarrassed but enjoyed the attention.

"He's a really great battler too," Barry said, proudly folding his arms, "You should see him in action."

Barry showed off some of Empoleon's moves, Misty's eyes sparkling the entire time. Unfortunately, Palmer came out, telling Barry that it was time to go back to the hotel.

"Aw, you're leaving already?" Misty asked, stopping Barry from walking away.

"Yeah," Barry said, "We come, we eat, we leave."

"You should come hang out with us tomorrow," Misty suggested, a smile on her face. "I would love to see what else Empoleon can do."

Ash and May exchanged glances. "Uh, yeah, Barry," Ash said, "You should come over tomorrow."

Barry shrugged, returning Empoleon. "I may have work tomorrow," he said, "We'll see." With that, he spun around and hurried after his father, who was already walking down the road.

They watched the two males disappear down the road. "They seem nice," Misty said.

Ash chuckled, "Just watch out for Barry's fines."

* * *

><p>May and Misty were sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV. Pikachu was curled up in May's lap and Ash was taking a shower upstairs.<p>

"Isaac, how could say such a thing?" May heard Mrs. Ketchum say in a hushed voice. May's head perked up and she slowly glanced behind her, seeing Isaac and Delia talking in the kitchen. She tapped Misty's arm and signaled for her to listen.

"All I'm saying is that I don't like this Palmer guy," Isaac said, "He's got weird vibes."

"That's no reason to dislike him," Mrs. Ketchum scolded, "He and Barry are both fine gentlemen. Did you not see Palmer help me with the dishes?"

"Yeah, but they're secretive," he said, "Palmer has some weird secret job he refuses to speak about."

May rolled her eye, _look at who's talking_, she thought.

"It's not like they're criminals or anything," Mrs. Ketchum protested.

"Still, they make me uncomfortable," Isaac said, "I'd like you to stop inviting them over."

"I can't do that," Delia insisted, "That would be rude."

...

...

...

The two remained silent, May and Misty exchanged glances, not daring to look at the two conversing adults.

"Look, if they are going to continue to come over, then I'm not going to be here when they do," Isaac said.

"Oh, Isaac, stop being ridiculous," Mrs. Ketchum said.

"I'm dead serious," Isaac said sternly.

"Where will you go?" Mrs. Ketchum asked.

May could hear Isaac take a deep breath. "I'll go hang out with my buddies until Palmer leaves," he said.

Mrs. Ketchum huffed. "I don't understand what the big deal is."

"He makes me uncomfortable," Isaac admitted, "I don't like being around him."

_Or are you afraid of him_? May thought, _But why would Isaac be afraid of Palmer?  
><em>  
>May heard Isaac's footsteps as the man stepped out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Mrs. Ketchum sighed sadly, and returned to washing dishes.<p>

"What was that all about?" Misty whispered quietly.

May shrugged. "I don't know, I guess Isaac just doesn't like Palmer."

Misty scratched her chin. "Do you think Isaac sees Palmer as a threat?" she asked.

May blinked a few times, tilting her head. "A threat to what?" May asked quietly.

Misty motioned to Delia with her head. May thought for a minute before shaking her head. "No, they're already engaged," she said, "Besides, why would Isaac leave when Palmer's around if that were the case."

Misty thought for a minute. "I guess you're right," she whispered, "But it still doesn't make sense."

"Pika pika, Pikachu?" Pikachu asked. Neither May or Misty replied, unable to understand what he was saying.

May heard more footsteps, these were much more rapid. She craned her neck and looked behind her and saw Ash rushing down the stairs, his hair still wet from the shower. May smiled and patted the couch cushion next to her, where Ash flopped down on the couch.

"What's up?" He asked, Pikachu hopped off and May's lap and into his trainer's.

Misty leaned over as to talk quietly without Mrs. Ketchum hearing from the kitchen. "Does Isaac have anything against Palmer?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Ash tilted his head in confusion. "No," he said, "Why?"

"Isaac just asked your mom to stop inviting Palmer and Barry over for dinner," May answered.

Ash was baffled. "That doesn't make any sense," he said, "Why would he do that?"

"We don't know," Misty answered, "That's why we asked you."

"Pika pika," Pikachu added.

"What are you four talking about so secretively over here?" Mrs. Ketchum asked, walking over to the teens.

"Uh..." May tried to think of something to say.

"We're talking about how we think Pokémon eggs are made," Misty said.

Mrs. Ketchum scowled, "I think you are a little too young for that."

"Ash started it," Misty said with a smirk.

"What?" Ash exclaimed, "No I didn't! We weren't even talking about breeding-" Ash slapped his hand over his mouth.

Mrs. Ketchum sighed and shook her head. "The games over," she said, "You heard our little conversation in the kitchen, didn't you?"

Misty and May lowered their heads, nodding shamefully. "I don't understand it myself," Mrs. Ketchum admitted, "I've never seen Palmer do anything wrong to Isaac. He's really a very nice man."

"Maybe Isaac is just paranoid about something," May suggested.

Mrs. Ketchum shrugged, "Maybe," she admitted, "I just don't get it."

* * *

><p><strong>*Wobb Wobb Wobbuffet!*<strong>

May groaned, blindly reaching over the side of the bed to the night stand that sat next to her bed. Clumsily, she felt around the table, accidentally knocking off a comb. He found the Wobbuffet alarm clock and impatiently slammed down on the snooze button.

She covered her head with her pillow, letting out another groan. She didn't want to get up, she knew she should, but she didn't. She had been having nightmares about Isaac doing horrible things to her and Ash, some seemed way too specific to dream up.

Figuring it would do her no good to lazily lay in bed, May kicked off her covers and let out a yawn, sitting up in her bed and swinging her feet off the side. She stretched her arms and legs before getting up. She groggily stumbled out of her room and downstairs, finding Ash sitting on the couch watching television while Misty sat on the floor, both still in their pajamas.

"Look at who finally woke up," Ash said, "Did you sleep well, May?"

The tired brunette shook her head, sitting down on the couch and curling up against Ash, closing her eyes. Ash smiled and hugged her, pulling her closer, causing May to let out a quiet groan.

"I still can't believe you two are together," Misty said from the floor, "I thought you would stay immature forever."

Ash scowled at Misty. "I wasn't immature, just… romantically ignorant," he tried to defend himself.

Misty laughed. "'Romantically ignorant'?" she asked, "Aka: dense."

"I wasn't dense!" Ash loudly protested.

"Shh, I'm sleeping," May said. Misty stifled a laugh.

"Oh, sorry," Ash said apologetically.

***Ding* *Dong***

Ash craned his neck to glance at the door. "Someone's here, I wonder if it's Barry," He said.

Mrs. Ketchum stepped over to the door and opened it up. "Oh, hello, Barry," Mrs. Ketchum said, "Come in."

Misty's eyes went wide. "Gah! I can't be seen like this!" she said, she jumped up to her feet and bolted up the stairs.

...

"Isn't Misty more Tom-boyish?" May asked, not even bothering to open her eyes.

Ash scratched his head with his free hand. "Yeah, she's not one to be too worried about appearance," he said.

"It wasn't like she freaked out when you or I saw her," May said, still trying to rest.

"Oh, there you guys are," Barry said, stepping into the room, "Guess what?"

"You don't have work today?" Ash guessed.

Barry pouted and crossed his arms. "Hey! I wanted to say that! I should f-" he cut himself short.

Ash smirked. "You're really doing a good job refraining from your fine thing," he said.

"Oh, whatever," Barry said, rolling his eyes. He sat down on the couch on the opposite side. "Hello, May," he said.

"Hello, Barry," May replied, still not opening her eyes.

Barry looked twisted around and looked about. "Say, were is Mest... Er.. Most..."

"Misty?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, Misty," Barry replied, scratching his head.

Ash gestured to the stairs. "She's getting dressed or something," he said.

"_Hmph, never seen her move so fast_," May grumbled, but low enough for only Ash to hear.

* * *

><p><em>"We could train."<em>

_"We could race."_

_"We could go fishing."_

_"We could snack."_

_"Pikachu pi pika."_

Four trainers and a Pikachu sat outside in the front yard of the Ketchum residence. They were currently bored, and were debating what it was they should do.

"Why would we fish?" Barry asked, "That's boring."

"Because, you get to see all sorts of water Pokémon," Misty explained, but Barry was unconvinced.

"But I like to move!" he said, "Fishing is too slow."

"Well, you have to get used to it," Misty explained, "It can be really relaxing."

Barry grumbled something unheard; it appeared he was mocking Misty.

"What did you say?" Misty asked loudly.

"Oh, nothing," Barry replied coolly, but Misty was already standing up.

"Tell me what you said!" She shouted, grabbing Barry shirt and pulling him up to his feet.

"N-nothing!" Barry stammered.

"Nothing... My elbow!" Misty shouted, shaking Barry, "Now what did you say!"

...

"You spit in my face..." Barry said quietly, his anger beginning to rise. "**Nobody **spits in my face!"

He swung his arms and freed himself from Misty's grip. "Nobody does that to me!" he exclaimed, "Why... I should... _I should_..." Barry glanced at Ash, who was frantically shaking his head and motioning for Barry to stop.

"You should what?" Misty asked sternly.

Barry inhaled deeply and stood up straighter.

"I... Should... **FINE YOU!**"

_YOU!_

You.

_you_

...

...

...

"Fine me?" Misty asked, her face now completely red. "You **fine** me? How **dare**you!"

"Uh, Barry, I think you should run," Ash said, "She has a-"

Misty pulled out her large mallet. "- hammer..." he finished.

"Eep," Barry said, sweat-dropping as he gazed at the hammer. "Oh, hey is that a Piplup?" he asked, pointing behind Misty.

"What? A Piplup?" Misty questioned, looking behind her to see nothing was that, she looked back at Barry and found that he was already running down the road.

**"BARRY GET BACK HERE SO THAT I KILL YOU!" **Misty exclaimed.

"Oh yeah," Ash said sarcastically, "That'll get him to come back."

Misty growled and ran down the road after Barry, hammer gleaming in the sun.

...

"Should we follow them?" May asked.

Ash gulped and shook his head. "Nah, Misty is out for blood, I'd rather stay out of this," he said.

May sighed and rolled her eyes. "You can stay here," May said, standing up. "I'm going to try to save Barry."

* * *

><p>Barry glanced over his shoulder and saw that Misty was beginning to gain on his. "What? Nobody runs faster than me!" he huffed.<p>

He took a sharp ninety degree turn and dashed into the forest, hoping he would lose Misty in there. He charged through bushes and past trees, pushing aside branches and twigs. His breaths grew heavier and raspier, he was beginning to get tired.

He quickly scanned his surroundings and spotted a large bush; he ran towards it and quickly hid inside. Through the branches, he saw Misty running; she slowed down and came to a halt. She bent over and attempted to catch her breath.

"He... Sure can... Run..." She panted, placing the hammer on the ground.

***Snap!***

Barry silently cursed, as a stick he had been standing on gave in and broke. Misty whirled around and looking in his direction, fire reigniting in her eyes. "There you are!" she exclaimed, she ran at the bush and lunged into it, shoving Barry out the other side. Barry grunted and landed heavily on the ground, Misty pinned him down and growled angrily.

"Now..." she said threateningly, "You're going to apologize, or I'm going to knock your face off with my hammer."

Barry shoved her away and scrambled to his feet. "Get away from me!" he exclaimed, backing up.

Misty cracker her knuckles. "Not today," she slowly approached him.

"I-if you hurt me..." Barry stammered, "My Dad will get you!"

Misty laughed. "Right, he would be thrown in jail for abusing a 'helpless girl'," she said.

It was Barry's turn to laugh. "That's where you're wrong," he said, "My dad can do whatever he wants, he's an undercover cop!"

Barry slapped his hand over his mouth after saying that. Misty's eyes began to glow with curiosity. "You're dad is a what?"

* * *

><p><strong>*Insert troll face* U mad?<strong>

**All will be revealed in the final chapter, so wait patiently. I hope that you'll be looking forward to it.**

**And yes, I did mention Old Spice. That "Smell is Power" ad with Bounce is literally the funniest thing I've ever seen :D**

**Once again, add me to your author's alerts so that you know when I post something new tomorrow... And the day after that... And the day after that... And the-**

**Anyways, don't forget to review! What do you think will happen next?**

**The Shiny Gengar**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Sherlock Holmes**

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, I never thought I'd be able to post everyday, I thought I would definitely miss a day. But no, I managed to do it, I just had to kill a man in the process. (I kid, I kid) <strong>

**Oh man, this is the final chapter... Of the fiction and the daily post thing that I never named. Yep, pretty sad stuff, seems like it went by so quickly. ****But have no fear, I'll probably post the start of my next story tomorrow. So I can say I posted everyday for three solid weeks. Get your OCs ready, because I'm going to need them.**

**Oh, sorry if the wedding scene is a little off, I haven't gone to one for a while.**

**I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

><p>Ash's eyes grew wide as he saw two figures walking down the road. He exchanges glances with Pikachu and stood up, trying to get a better look at Barry, who was walking next to a now perfectly calm Misty.<p>

Much to Ash's surprise, Barry looked completely unharmed. He didn't have any bruises, scratches, or hammer marks. Either he was able to talk Misty out of beating the crap out of him, or May intervened in time, but Ash didn't see the brunette anywhere.

What was more was Barry and Misty where having a friendly conversation, talking and laughing as they approached the Ketchum household.

"Wow Barry," Ash said as he approached the two, "You avoided Misty's wrath? How did you do it?"

Barry and Misty exchanged glances.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback:<strong>

_"I-if you hurt me..." Barry stammered, "My Dad will get you!"_

_Misty laughed. "Right, he would be thrown in jail for abusing a 'helpless girl'," she said._

_It was Barry's turn to laugh. "That's where you're wrong," he said, "My dad can do whatever he wants, he's an undercover cop!"_

_Barry slapped his hand over his mouth after saying that. Misty's eyes began to glow with curiosity. "You're dad is a what?"_

_"Mpherplmenthmd," Barry said, but he was not understandable due to his hand still covering his mouth. Misty stepped over to him and removed his hand from his mouth._

_"What did you say?" Misty asked, "Your Dad is an undercover cop?"_

_Barry remained silent for a few seconds before letting out a deep breath. "Yeah," he admitted, "But it's an absolute secret, you shouldn't know."_

_Misty tilted her head, her rage seeming to fade away. "Why is it such a secret?" she asked._

_Barry twisted his arm to free it from Misty's grasp and tried to escape, but Misty quickly grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. "Tell me, or I'll tell everyone your dad is a cop," she insisted._

_"You wouldn't..." Barry dared, tensing up a little._

_"Try me," Misty said with a smile. Barry studied her face, trying to detect if she was lying, but she seemed completely sincere._

_"We're looking for someone," Barry said quietly, "If that person knows that someone like my dad is here, he or she would run, and we would never find him."_

_Misty tilted her head. "What's the case?" she asked._

_Barry shook his head. "It's confidential, I can't tell you," he said. Misty chuckled and pressed Barry up against a tree, pressing herself up against him._

_"I think you can," she said._

_Barry scowled, "Why is this so important to you?" He asked._

_Misty thought for a minute. "I like being in the know," she said._

_Barry rolled his eyes, "That is a horrible reason."_

_"I'll tell," Misty warned._

_Barry shook his head. "So let me get this straight," he began, "You're willing to blow my cover and allow one of the greatest criminals of the four regions to get away so that you're 'in the know'?"_

_Misty excitedly bounced up and down "Greatest criminal of the four regions? Now you have to tell me!" she insisted._

_Barry sighed, seeing no way out of it. "Several months ago, in Cherrygrove City, a man and I woman fell deeply in love," he began._

_"It's a romance story?" Misty asked._

_"Let me finish!" Barry shot, "The two were to be wed, but something happened."_

_"What?" Misty asked, eyes sparkling._

_"The woman told the man one of her greatest secrets, the code to access an excessive amount of cash she had inherited," Barry continued, "A few nights later, this man attempted to take all of the woman's money and ran off."_

_Misty gasped, "That's horrible!" she said._

_Barry nodded in agreement. "But there was a mishap. The man's Pokémon, a Gengar, had grown attached to the wealthy woman, and warned her of what the man was doing."_

_"The Gengar turned on his own trainer?" Misty asked._

_Barry nodded, "Indeed, the woman and the Gengar tried to stop the man, but he hit her and knocked her out, getting away with the all money."_

_..._

_"Wow," Misty said, "But that doesn't explain everything. What brought you to Pallet Town? And why is it so hard to find this guy? The woman he was engaged to knew who he was."_

_"When he hit the woman, he knocked her into a coma that she has yet to recover from," Barry said, "Besides, it's been a long time, and the man probably changed his identity, so that information would be useless. As for Pallet Town, that was the only tip we got, we heard he was probably headed this way to lay low for a while."_

_Misty finally let go of Barry, blushing slightly. "Wow, that's a lot," she said._

_"This isn't the first time he done this," Barry said, "There have been several cases where he took quick cash from other women, but he killed them all."_

_Misty gasped and covered her hand with her mouth. "Oh man," she said, "Have you gotten any closer to finding the murderer?"_

_Barry shook his head. "He covered his tracks too well," Barry said, "We have no idea who we're looking for."_

_Misty looked around nervously. "It's a bit scary knowing there could be a murderer hiding in Pallet Town," she said, goose-bumps appearing on her arms._

_Barry smiled proudly. "That's why my dad and I are here," he said, "To bring the criminal to justice!" Misty smiled, seeming comforted by the fact._

_"Now, you have to promise not to tell anyone," Barry said, "Not even Ash or May."_

_Misty chuckled and crossed her hand over her chest. "Cross my heart," she said._

_"Swear to die if you do?" Barry asked._

_Misty though for a moment. "Uh, no, I'm not going that far."_

* * *

><p><strong>Present:<strong>

"Barry is a very smooth talker," Misty lied to Ash, "Totally cooled down my temper."

"Like a boss," Barry said proudly.

Shortly after Barry and Misty returned, May appeared in the distance, strolling down the road. She approached the house with a surprised look on her face. "Oh, there you are," she said, "I've been looking for you two."

* * *

><p>The days flew by pretty quickly for May. She didn't see much of Isaac, mostly because she kept herself occupied with Ash, Misty, Barry, and Pikachu. Palmer came by to eat and occasionally hang out, he and Mrs. Ketchum would sit in the living room and talk for hours on end.<p>

When Isaac was around, he kept a close eye on May, making sure she never did anything that displeased him. May tried to keep her distance and avoid eye contact, not wanting to interact with Isaac at all, but that was hard when Ash wanted to hang out with him.

The day of the wedding was quickly approaching. Mrs. Ketchum was constantly out and about preparing for the wedding with her friends. May hated watching Mrs. Ketchum as well, the poor woman was unaware of Isaac's true intentions, and she was so happy and excited. To think her heart was about to be broken saddened May more than anything else. Delia was one of the kindest women she knew, she didn't deserve for this to happen to her.

It was because of that, May tried a desperate attempt to stop Isaac. She followed him to the place where he and his lackeys liked to hang out.

"Isaac," she began, stepping into the light so everyone could see her.

Isaac turned his head and looked at her with a scowl. "You again, what do you want?" he grumbled.

"Let's throw her out!" one of his friends shouted.

"Wait!" May exclaimed, stopping the men from approaching her, "Isaac, you don't want to do this," she said, "Delia has one of the biggest hearts that I know. Please... Please don't break it..."

Isaac laughed, finding her amusing; he began to slowly circle around her. "Listen kiddo," Isaac began, "I don't give a crap for Delia, or her precious heart." He chuckled, seeming to find the situation funny. "She's just like all the other women, blinded by good looks, and unable to see in the heart."

"That's not true!" May protested.

"Oh, but it is," Isaac said, his friends nodding in agreement, "And because of that she deserves to be robbed, and that's what I plan to do."

"She deserves it!" one if his friends shouted.

"We're doing the right thing!"

"Anybody that shallow shouldn't have riches!"

"It's simple, May," Isaac said, using her name for the first time in a long time, "I'll just take the money and leave, never to be seen again. You won't be affected at all. I'm not going to kill her like I have my previous targets."

May's bottom quivered. "You hypocrite!" she screamed, "You say she deserves this! You think she's shallow? You have no room to talk! You're just interested in women for their money!"

"Enough!" Isaac exclaimed, smacking May, knocking her to her feet. She felt her cheek, it was bleeding.

Isaac knelt down next to her. "You're young, and stupid, just like that dumb boyfriend of yours" Isaac spat, "You don't understand the world, and how things work. You just go off on your stupid adventures and catch silly Pokémon."

He stood back up, towering over May. "Now get out," he motioned for her to leave, "Or I'll leave you in the hands of my buddies, I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

His friends all laughed menacingly. May stood up, and after shooting and final glare at Isaac, she left.

_Why must people be so driven by greed? _She thought continually, _to the point where they don't care if they hurt others just to get what they want.  
><em>  
>When she got home, Ash noticed her cheek, which still had a mark. She said she had tripped and fallen, scratching her face. Of course, Ash got his mother to clean off the wound and take care of it.<p>

* * *

><p>On the day of the wedding, May was walking to the hill she and Ash liked to share time on, where the ceremony would be held. Ash was walking next to her, for once, he was actually dressed nicely, but he refused to take off his cap, which still sat over his messy hair.<p>

May was wearing her bride's maids dress; she had taken off her bandana and put white bows in her hair.

"You look amazing," Ash had told her several times, she felt unsatisfied with her appearance at first, but if Ash liked it, then she was fine with it.

Barry and Misty were walking behind them, talking about different things. Barry was also dressed for success, sporting a tuxedo he claimed use to be his dad's. Misty, who was also a bride's maid, was dressed similar to May.

As happy as today was supposed to be, May struggled to smile. She just stayed close to Ash; he was always good at making her feel better. When they reached the hill, May was thankful that she hadn't dressed fancy when it came to shoes, it would have been a horror story trudging up in high heels.

Ash on the other hand, was excited, at long last he would have someone he could call his dad. He had been worried at first, but Isaac seemed like a great guy.

_"Oh hey, you guys,"_

Ash turned around and saw two familiar faces, one was excited the other seemed a bit bored. "Dawn, Gary, man it's been a while," he said, approaching them, he shook hands with Gary and warmly hugged Dawn. "You two excited?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" Dawn said happily, bouncing on her toes, "I love weddings." Then she scowled, "But Gary needed some convincing," she giggled, "but I talked him into it."

"Hey, it just seemed like a waste of time," Gary said, trying to defend himself.

Dawn giggled again. "It only took a pair of puppy eyes and a kiss," she said proudly. Ash couldn't help but smirk.

"You try resisting the puppy eyes," Gary grumbled, grumpily folding his arms.

"I don't see what the big- _oh dear Arceus_, Dawn, stop," Ash said as he looked at Dawn, who was putting on her best puppy eyes.

"Hey, where's May?" Dawn asked, "You two are still together, right?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, of course, she's um..." he looked around, she was walking over to him, "Oh, here she comes now."

May smiled as she saw Dawn and Gary. The two girls ran up to each other and happily embraced, letting out peppy girl squeals. Ash and Gary simply watched in embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh," Dawn said, "You look great in that dress!"

May blushed. "You think so, I wasn't really confident about it, but Ash said otherwise."

Ash sighed, uninterested in their girl talk. He glanced around, his mother was nowhere to be seen, probably hiding from the groom, who was talking to some of his friends up at the front of a large set of chairs, where people were filing in and taking seats. Pikachu was playing with Dawn's Piplup, and Barry, Misty, and Palmer where talking. Barry was looking over an object in his hands, which Misty appeared to be talking about, Ash couldn't tell what it was though.

_"So I bet you're really excited..."_

"Hm? What?" Ash asked, he turned and saw Dawn looking at him.

"I bet you're really excited about having a Dad," Dawn said with a bright smile.

Ash smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "You bet, I've been waiting most of my life for this," Ash said excitedly.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu agreed, sharing Ash's enthusiasm.

Gary sighed, "You have it good," he said, "I don't have a mom or a dad. My sister and I have been living with Gramps for as long as I can remember."

Dawn smiled and grabbed Gary's arm, trying to cheer him up. Ash turned to May, who seemed to be in her own world. She appeared to be watching Isaac as he conversed with his friends. He could detect sadness in her eyes as she watched his future stepfather.

_I wonder what's wrong with May_, Ash thought to himself, _does she not like Isaac?_

"We should probably find seats," Dawn said, she grabbed Ash and Gary and dragged them to the cluster of seats set up before the stage. May went off for find Mrs. Ketchum.

Delia had constantly asked Ash to do something other than sit in with crowd. "Be the ring man," she suggested, "Or the flower boy, I don't know."

Ash refused though, he didn't want to draw attention to himself, and knowing his luck he would have dropped the rings, and he definitely wasn't going to be the flower boy. So Mrs. Ketchum turned to Pikachu, who happily took up the offer.

People began to take their positions on stage or find seats. Gary checked his watch, "five minutes until this starts."

Ash shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Something was off, something didn't feel right. He glanced around, scanning the crowd of people. Something bad was going to happen, he could feel it.

_Team Rocket, if you crash this wedding and try to take Pikachu, I'm going to blast you off all the way to Unova_, Ash thought, scanning the sky for any sign of them.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Dawn asked, she could tell something was troubling him.

"Do you not feel it?" he asked.

Dawn exchanged glances with Gary. "Feel what?" she asked.

Ash shuddered slightly, still looking around. "Something isn't right, I don't get it," he said.

Suddenly, the music began to play, everyone fell silent. The wedding was beginning. Everyone twisted their backs and craned their necks to see who was coming down the aisle.

The ceremony proceeded normally; several people came down the aisle. Pikachu and Piplup threw flower petals around, earning "aws" from the crowd. In a way it almost annoyed Ash, seeing one of his most powerful Pokémon throw little pink flower petals around.

Finally, his mother came down. She was dressed in the large, white wedding dress, which flowed behind her as she slowly walked forward. As she passed by, Ash flashed her a thumbs up, putting on a big smile. His mother smiled brightly to him and continued walking.

Unless it was something that absolutely intrigued him, Ash struggled to sit for long periods of time with nothing to do.

_"We are gathered here today, on this happy and joyous occasion, to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony..."_

And there was nothing that could have been more boring than listen to the preacher talk to the soon-to-be-wed couple standing before him.

Ash let out a yawn at one point, in which Dawn noticed and hit him, quietly scolding him. May, Misty, and two of his mother's friends where the brides maids, who stood up on stage the whole time, like the grooms, Isaac's friends, whom Ash didn't recognize.

"Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Ash squinted. _What the heck? This isn't the 1950s, nobody says that these days_, he thought, _besides, who would have the nerves to object?  
><em>  
>"Do you, Isaac Mustarm, take Delia to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the preacher asked.<p>

Isaac nodded and flashed a toothy grin. "I do," he said.

Ash let out sigh, this would be over in a few minutes, then he could get up and stretch his legs.

"Do you, Delia Ketchum, take Isaac to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the preacher asked.

Mrs. Ketchum nodded and smiled, "I do," she said.

The preacher nodded and smiled, "You may-"

_**"HOLD IT!"**_

Every head turned towards the back again. Palmer and Barry were both standing with their arms crossed, glaring at Isaac. Palmer stormed forward.

"W-what is the meaning of this!" The preacher asked as Palmer marched up to Isaac.

"FBI, I've been on an undercover mission, and I have been on it for a long time," Palmer said.

"What do you think you're doing Palmer," Isaac growled through his teeth, "You can't just interrupt weddings like this!"

Palmer pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Actually, I can. And I think I'm here to put you under arrest."

"What!" Ash exclaimed, standing up out of his seat, "You can't do that!" He began to run at Palmer but was tackled to the ground by Barry.

"Stay cool, man," Barry grunted as he and Ash struggled on the ground, "We know what we're doing."

"No you don't!" Ash exclaimed, "This is ridiculous!"

May hurried down from her place on stage and over to Ash. "You have to calm down," she told him, helping Barry hold Ash down.

"The boy is right, Palmer," Isaac said, "You can't arrest me without reason."

"I have plenty of reasons," Palmer said, pulling out a sheet of paper, "Let's see, you are under arrest for theft, murder, rape, and most recently, child abuse."

Isaac looked at him in disbelief. "You have no proof, you still can't arrest me."

_"Isaac, you don't want to do this,"_ May's voice could be heard, _"Delia has one of the biggest hearts that I know. Please... Please don't break it..."  
><em>  
>Palmer was holding a recording device in his hand, cranking it to its loudest setting so everyone could hear.<p>

Everyone heard a laugh. _"Listen kiddo,"_ Isaac could be heard saying in the recording, _"I don't give a crap for Delia, or her precious heart. She's just like all the other women, blinded by good looks, and unable to see in the heart."  
><em>  
>Mrs. Ketchum gasped, stepping back; it looked as if someone had just shot her.<p>

_"That's not true!"_May shouted in the recording.

_"Oh, but it is," _Isaac said, _"And because of that she deserves to be robbed, and that's what I plan on doing."_

The crowd gasped. Isaac looked baffled, and Palmer had a smirk on his face. "Oh, and it gets better," he said, fast forwarding a little and playing again.

_"It's simple, May,"_ Isaac said, _"I'll just take the money and leave, never to be seen again. You won't be effected at all. I'm not going to kill her like I have my previous targets."  
><em>  
><em>"You hypocrite!"<em> May screamed, _"You say she deserves this! You think she's shallow? You have no room to talk! You're just interested in women for their money!"_

_"Enough!"_Isaac exclaimed. There was a loud slapping noise, and it sounded like May had fallen to the ground. The crowd gasped again, and Ash's eyes widened, he looked at the mark on May's cheek, which was still present.

_"You're young, and stupid, just like that dumb boyfriend of yours"_ Isaac said, Ash stiffened, _"You don't understand the world, and how things work. You just go off on your stupid adventures and catch silly Pokémon."  
><em>  
>Barry and May got off Ash, allowing him to rise back to his feet.<p>

_"Now get out, or I'll leave you in the hands of my buddies, I'm sure they wouldn't mind."  
><em>  
>Several of Isaac's best men stiffened. Palmer chuckled, putting the recording away. "At least you won't be lonely, you'll have your buddies to keep you company."<p>

Isaac's face was red with anger; he looked about ready to explode. "You!" he exclaimed, pointing at May, "This is your fault! You are so dead!" with a powerful shove, he knocked Palmer off his feet, causing him to fall onto Delia and the preacher. Isaac angrily ran at May, looking ready to kill.

"Not today." Ash growled, lifting his foot and delivering a mighty kick to Isaac in the stomach. With the wind knocked out of him, the man fell to the ground, "Pikachu! Give him you're best Thunder!"

Pikachu's cheeks began to spark as he too angrily glared at Isaac. He looked ready to deliver an attack more powerful than anything he had given Team Rocket. With a shout, sparks flew from the electric mouse and struck Isaac.

Isaac let out a scream of pain as he was electrocuted, but when Pikachu subdued the attack, the shout stopped, and Isaac fell unconscious.

...

...

...

Several Officer Jennys came running down the aisle in an orderly fashion. In a matter of seconds, they had handcuffs on all of Isaac's lackeys, and Isaac himself, who was dragged away.

The crowd was erupting with commotion, talking about what had just happened. Dawn and Gary rushed over to Ash and May. Misty followed Barry as he went to see the criminals off.

May was hugging Ash tightly, refusing to let go. "So was that what you couldn't tell me?" he asked sadly, hugging her back.

May nodded. "He threatened me," was all she said.

"That jerk..." Ash mumbled, hugging May tighter. Pikachu climbed up Ash and perched himself on his shoulder.

"That was so crazy!" Dawn said, seeming to be unable to contain herself.

Palmer rose to his feet and turned to Delia, who was still on the ground. "Here, let me help you up," he offered, but she didn't even look up at him. "Delia?"

Mrs. Ketchum sniffed and wiped a tear off her cheek. "I'm so stupid," she said, her voice shaky, "I didn't see it, his deception, his lies..."

Delia sniffed again. "If not for May, I would have married that jerk... And then what? He would have robbed me!" she cried, "Isaac was right, I'm shallow... I didn't see... I didn't see that he didn't care, I just saw him from the outside... I'm such an idiot!"

Palmer knelt down next to the crying woman. "That's not true at all," he said, wiping a tear off her face, she just looked at him sadly. "You're one of the kindest people I have ever met."

"B-but Isaac, he was..." Mrs. Ketchum tried to protest.

Palmer shushed her. "Isaac was deceptive, he fooled many other women," he assured her, "You aren't any of the things he said you were. You have a heart of gold."

Mrs. Ketchum nodded before bursting into tears again. She leaned in towards Palmer, who hugged her comfortingly.

* * *

><p>May walked towards the police cars parked at the bottom of the hill. She found Barry and Misty watching the police cars carefully. "Is he up yet?" May asked.<p>

Barry turned towards, the police car Isaac was in. "Yep, but barely," he said. May thanked him and walked over to the police car. Officer Jenny glanced at May and nodded, stepping aside so May could talk to the man in cuffs.

"You... Little %#?$..." Isaac grunted, sighing, "How'd you catch me like that?"

May smirked, thinking about when her plan first began.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

_May huffed and puffed as she ran through the forest, she had seen Misty turn into them, but had yet to find her or Barry. Suddenly, she heard a yelp. Without a second to lose, May dashed in the direction of the sound._

_"What did you say?" she heard Misty ask, "You're Dad is an undercover cop?"_

_May spotted them; she quieted her steps so they didn't know of her presence._

_"Yeah," Barry admitted, "But it's an absolute secret, you shouldn't know."_

_May ducked behind a bush, careful not to make any noise, she kept quiet and continued to listen._

_"We're looking for someone," Barry said quietly, "If that person knows that someone like my dad is here, he or she would run, and we would never find him or her."_

_Barry proceeded to explain to Misty about the man, the woman, and the Gengar. May remembered Isaac talking about owning a Gengar, and was a hundred percent sure that the man Palmer was after was indeed Isaac._

_Knowing that she had someone to turn to, namely Palmer, a plan began to form in May's head. She knew she could catch Isaac._

* * *

><p><strong>Present:<strong>

"That recording bit was pretty clever," Isaac mumbled, "I didn't think you were that bright."

May rolled her eyes. "I guess I'm not the young and stupid child you thought I was," she said.

Isaac glared up at her. "How did you get the recorder to Palmer without us knowing?" he asked.

May smiled and crossed her arms. "Oh that was easy, I just gave it to Misty, and she gave it to Barry, who gave it to Palmer," she said, "The situation was out of my hands after that."

Isaac growled, seeming suddenly frustrated. "Outsmarted by a little girl," he grumbled, "What are the odds?"

* * *

><p><strong>Several weeks later.<br>**  
>"Come on, you Slowpokes! If you don't hurry up I'll fine you!" Barry shouted, he had Misty's hand in his as they went up the hill. Ash and May were following them up, but at a much slower pace. In one of Ash's hands was a picnic basket and May's hand was in his other. Along with Pikachu, they strolled up the hill, reaching the top to meet an impatient Barry.<p>

"Come on, man," Barry said, checking his watch app, "What took you so long?"

"Yeah Ash," Misty grunted, "You were running all over the place when we traveled together."

Ash laughed. "Yeah, but May doesn't like to run," he said.

"Unless she sees a buffet," Barry grumbled.

"What was that?" May asked menacingly.

"Nothing, nothing," Barry said.

They all spread out the picnic blanket on the grass and set out the food. "Man," Barry said, "I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing Dad kissing."

"To my mom, no less" Ash added, pulling out a sandwich and handing it to May.

"Eh, at least I get to eat awesome food," Barry said, Ash glared at Barry. "I'm just kidding! You're mom is awesome. Geez don't take things so personally."

May laughed. "You just sounded too shallow for Ash's liking."

Barry rolled his eyes. "Please... Do you think I would be so heartless?"

Misty chuckled. "Well you definitely don't think about what you say too often."

...

"I outta fine you."

* * *

><p><strong><em>The End.<em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was an interesting story to write. It was cool having a plot placed after Ash and May are already a couple, really puts a new spin on things.<strong>

**Fun fact: This originally was going to take place after Fiercer Than a Legendary, thus featuring Gengar and Lucario. But there were too many plot devices that would have been messed up had I done that. So I actually had to rewrite the first chapter and get rid of all the evidence.**

**And if you haven't noticed, I've been experimenting a bit with Dawn shippings. FTaL had Pearlshipping and Ikarishipping, Lessons Learned had Twinleafshipping, Silent but Deadly has slight penguinshipping, Harley and Me had slight Belleshipping (DrewxDawn), and Duplicity had cavaliershipping.**

**And let's not forget the mentions of Gengar in each story. :)**

**And then I twisted it up with Barry and Misty, along with Delia and Palmer. Two shippings I have googled but found literally no results for.**

**Anyways, I'm curious to know, what story did you guys like best? Lessons Learned, Silent but Deadly, Harley and Me, or Duplicity? Leave a review or vote on the poll on my homepage!**

**Yep, so that ends the streak of stories, :( I really hope you guys enjoyed it and check out my next project which I should be uploading tomorrow!**

_**The Shiny Gengar**_


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